


Veracity

by exceed



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: A HUMAN ZONE OF TRUTH? perhaps, Anxiety, Autistic Angus, Divination, Multi, Slight Panic Attacks, Some angst, abandoned, angus: the boy with a million unofficial parents, case closed. bam, garfield warning, healthy amounts of tom bodetts, lie to him? he'll know, the good detective boi has a special ability, voidfish static, warning: these boys CURSE
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-03-31 09:43:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13972383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exceed/pseuds/exceed
Summary: veracitynoun | ve·rac·i·ty |  \ və-ˈra-sə-tē \1 : conformity with truth or fact2 : devotion to the truthOr: Angus has a knack for seeking out answers. It's not like something as silly asstaticwould stop him. ABANDONED





	1. Train Crimes and Murder Times

**Author's Note:**

> this is discontinued bc i lost where i was gonna go w it, sorry yall

The sun, set on its path through the sky, illuminated everything below from the mountains to the canyons to the depths of the ocean. It heated everything it touched, providing vital heat to the coldest areas of the world while it sunk into the bones of others, miserably laying over everything it could get to.

Despite any wishes otherwise, it kept going slowly, inching along the sky as it lit the porch that Angus McDonald was sitting down on, notebook and pen in hand and a business-ready smile on his young face..

“Ma’am, could you tell me anything you know about Edmond? He’s your grandson, correct?”

The old lady that sat across from him was aged, a human that was clearly in their last few years. Her glossed-over eyes stared up at the sky, just off-mark from the sun before he cleared his throat and her unseeing gaze focused readily in his general direction.

“Of course I’ll tell you about Ed,” she hummed, voice frail as her fingers curled around the end of her cane. They were seated comfortably- four chairs out on the porch, although Angus was using the one closest to her. “He’s the kindest young man I know! It’s a shame that I had to raise him instead of his father, but at least he has family.”

“Yes,” Angus said patiently, tapping his pen lightly on his paper and still smiling, despite the fact that the lady couldn’t see him doing it. “Anything about his friends? Other family members? I...We need to know, ma’am. Anyone could have taken him.”

“Bah, he’s fine,” she said dismissively, waving a hand before reaching down and fumbling with a bag in her lap. His eyes zeroed in on a pack of smokes that she had (and was that a deck of cards right near it?) as she lit one as if she did it every day, starting to smoke even as he talked to her. “His friends may be a bit excitable but they’re not kidnappers, and I’m the only living family he has. He must have gone off on some journey again, as all you kids do these days.”

His mouth quirked into a smile as he nodded- she sounded so sure, so true that he was absolutely certain now that it wasn’t a kidnapping. The police had gone against him, but this was enough evidence to prove otherwise, really.

“So if he’s gone off, missing a bag, essentials, a spellbook and a wand…”

“Definitely an adventurer. Seems that he got too excited from the stories I read to him as a kid, hah!” Her laugh was more of a cackle, smoke curling out before she inhaled again and seemed to relax. “Kid, do you want to become an adventurer?”

“I’d rather stay a detective, ma’am. More interesting, and I can’t fend for myself like most adventurers can."

“Do you think my boy can defend himself?”

Angus tilted his head. “I don’t know him. I can’t say for sure if he’d make it or not, but I have a hunch that he can.”

“And you’d be right,” she hummed, a smile spreading across her wrinkled face. “My boy has a bit of a seer’s touch, too. It’ll be helpful on the road.” _Truth._

“A seer’s touch?” His pen was furiously scratching notes on a different page as the sun sat above, heat beating down on them in the warm rural summer. “I don’t exactly get what that means. So he’s skilled in divination magics?”

A smoke-filled chuckle answered him as the old lady leaned her head back and took the time to laugh, blank eyes zeroing in on the area of the sun once again before she looked back down at him. “Child, there are gifts in this world that are far from the purview of any god. They are not tied to sorcerers or warlocks or even wizards, none of those that we know- humans used to have natural magic flowing in their bones.”

Humans, to his knowledge, were a magicless race- if you didn’t count those who trained or made deals with a higher power, people who had ties to the natural magic of the world. Take a normal human and chances were they were as plain as the dirt under their feet unlike another race; no inherent magic to speak of.

That was the way it had always been. The people she talked about just...didn’t exist. (He ignored the faint hint of truth humming in his bones.)

When Angus repeated his thoughts the old lady snorted, waving with her hand almost as if to banish those thoughts away. “Nobody remembers, but it’s true!” _Truth,_ his gut told him. _True as the fact that the sun keeps going, true as the heat beating down on your skin, true as the two moons that rise each night. True._ “Humans used to have some special abilities, back in the day, but nobody else noticed. Seers existed beyond divination magic; it was a tool they used, but it wasn’t their soul.”

Smoke crept through the air. He was getting a headache.

“They had dreams! Dreams, prophetic wonderings, future and past and present rolled up into one. They could interpret the cards truthfully and know what they meant, knew what the future held; kings and street urchins alike went to them for guidance and peace. They had the spark, the one that meant they had the gift.”

“Only seers?”

“Hah! No, kid, but if someone would have a gift today, it would be that- those were the most common. Others could tell truth from lie, or be forgettable to everyone they met if they wished, and there was even a lady who could see spirits around her; nothing concrete, nothing that others could see, but we used to have gifts. Powerful, powerful gifts.”

_Truth._

He stared at her, stone-still.

Silence reigned for a long moment as the lady smoked, breathing in and out before she continued. “My son has a bit of it. Intuition, you could say. Not as much as the seers of old, but enough. I used to have some before it faded away. Old age strengthens some...but it took my ability away.” Her chuckle was bitter now as she trailed off, closing her eyes and sitting back further.

She sighed, taking the time to relax and letting the smoke kill her lungs before she snubbed it and threw the cigarette off to the side, opening her eyes again and giving him an ugly, toothy grin.

“Kind of a kid like you to sit with me even after getting answers about my grandson. You’re welcome to come back, if you’d like.”

He stood up, pausing, a little smile on his face.

“I’d, uh, I’d love to, ma’am! I just- before I go- do you think there’s anyone out there with those gifts today?”

Eyes suddenly zeroed on him, glinting; there was a sharp smile on her, a knowing look in the woman’s eyes.

“I think you already know that, don’t you?”

 

* * *

 

“He just left for adventure.”

A tall figure stared at him across a desk, mouth pressed into a downward curl. “And how would you know that?”

“What he took was the mark of a starting adventurer! Spellbook, wand, necessities for a life on the road; We can send out a message to look for him and mark him if he goes to a guild, but there’s too many adventurers out there to be for sure, sir.”

The figure sighed, looking away from him for a moment as Angus fidgeted in his seat. Visiting the police force of Rockport had never been fun, and he wanted to get out as soon as he could, since this was his last contracted position with them. They were...unnerving, to say the least.

“Um-”

“There is another job for you in Rockport, but it is not with us.” A truth, which relaxed him slightly. “It is with the Rockport City Council.” ….Hm. Angus wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. “At the city hall, look for the Tom Bodett with the cat-eared headband. They will tell you all you need to know.”

“Uh, thank you, Tom Bodett, sir.”

As he left, he couldn’t help but still be amazed at the fact that this city was almost completely full of Tom Bodetts...with the only differentiating feature being what they wore on their head.

 

* * *

 

Thankfully, it didn’t take much time to find Tom Bodett.

“Hello, si-”

“Hello, Angus McDonald! It’s a pleasure to meet you! Come right this way, this is a matter of high importance…” The cat-eared headband Tom Bodett chattered away as he followed them deeper into the building, passing other Tom Bodetts as they walked through the hallways. It felt a bit close, this far in with all of these identical people, but it would be fine.

Eventually they made their way into a little office with another Tom Bodett (with what looked like Fantasy Cheetos on his head) and sat down, and Angus pulled out his notebook and pen to scrawl what they said.

He left with the information about a serial killer called the Rockport Slayer and a notebook full of questions; barely any information that they had given him was a truth or a lie, which was frustrating. If they weren’t sure of what they said, there was nothing concrete for him and just- well. At least he’d be able to use his proper skills this time.

Weaving through a market of Tom Bodetts and various hat styles he picked up a drink from one stall and made his way back to the inn where he was staying, smiling at the Bodett at the counter and making his way to his room to start cracking the case.

 

* * *

 

This wasn’t getting any better.

Two weeks had passed, and another person was dead.

The Rockport Slayer kept targeting wealthy Bodetts and left no trace and it was getting to the point where Angus wanted to scream. Hands in his hair, glasses on the table, staring blankly at his notebook, he couldn’t help but let at least a long groan out.

Where _were_ they? Was he useless without any sure information? There were barely any clues besides one that he had gotten a day ago, but he couldn’t go investigate it until tomorrow; a trip on the Rockport Limited.

Nobody knew where the Slayer was, but he had an idea of where they would go next.

He had caught wind of something valuable on that train, and he had finally gotten a truthful reading from it. Something that the Slayer would look for, something that would get their interest; not from a Bodett, but the property of one Leeman Kessler. He didn’t have a name or a description, but the safe they used on that train was rarely needed.

It was a good trip to take anyways, since he had already planned on it. His grandfather was getting sicker and just- the silverware was needed. He couldn’t just leave his grandfather like that, alone, especially...especially without any living family but him.

A sour taste entered his mouth and he shook his head, ripping his thoughts from his grandfather and back to the case. Despite the lead, his heart was no more light.

They _had_ to be there, or else he would be gone for a week and a half and they’d have another chance to kill people.

~~He’d be a failure he’d be looked down upon by Rockport was he _truly_ the world’s greatest detective-~~

His hands slammed down on the table as he looked up, body rigid in the quiet room, and nodded to himself.

The Rockport Slayer _would_ be on the train, and he would get them no matter what.

 

* * *

 

The day was a bright one; heat not as strong as it was a few weeks before, on the porch of the seer-touched woman, and his smile was wide as he picked up a snack on the way to the Rockport Limited, needs and silverware in tow. The trip was paid for by the city council, which was not only convenient but amusing, and he waved to the Tom Bodett at the ticket station before walking in.

There weren’t many people on the trip. He recognized Jess the Beheader- who _wouldn’t_ , she was great (but not as great as Jeff Angel, of course)- but not the strange wizard that he passed, sitting down to open his surveillance book as he picked a seat.

Tension was strung through his body even as three newcomers entered a few minutes later, on alert as he scanned them while seeming to read his book.

An elven….it seemed like an elven wizard, all sharp smiles and fake-stupid looks, fashionable and an umbrella (why did he need an umbrella?) in their hands. Behind him was a dwarf, flowers in their beard and chuckling, and...a human man, looking slightly uncomfortable there and thumbing at a deck of cards absentmindedly.

They passed by him and he promptly dismissed them, going back to his book as the train rumbled, starting and making his frown tighten.

There were….what, six passengers on the train and two others? It didn’t really leave a lot of people, which was unnerving. All this room, a valuable in the back, and the potential for a murder on the train…

If he was right, it would be one interesting train ride.

 

* * *

 

“I’m Brother Leeman!”

 _Wrong. False_. He could feel it, that curl in his gut, and his smile widened even as his grip on his book got tighter. The three that had come in earlier were liars, really, all with false names (Diddley? _False_. Justin? _False_.) and even though some truth was curled in with it, they were all using fake names.

The dwarf that claimed to be Leeman had a kind face and flowers in his beard, and for all Angus knew he could have offensive spells in his belt that could vanish people without a trace. Those eyes could be thinking any number of things- perhaps the fancy boy had some fancy items? Precious silverware for a grandfather, perhaps?

He kept his distance even as his eyes flickered to the other two- one elven wizard, spells on their lips and a wand that most likely wasn’t taken and stored away and ready to aid in murder. One human man that looked strong enough to snap somebody’s neck, a wide grin, still thumbing at cards even though he definitely had the power to throw him out of the train.

Well. It was a bit insulting when a Zone of Truth was cast a bit afterwards. He nearly laughed in his state of minor panic, and they were- they were gone. He had run his mouth in his state and they were off talking to the other wizard (whose name, he had learned, was Percy or Graham, depending on where you were?) and he was on his own.

He took a deep breath in.

He let it out slowly.

Just because they had fake names didn’t mean that one of them was the Rockport Slayer. They could be protecting whoever the real Leeman Kessler was by going on the train instead of them, or they could just be having fun using fake names, and it was all fine. He’d show them kindness, be a good child like he had been raised to be, and he’d just….be more careful. Cautious as he was with everyone else on the train.

Angus just needed to be observant and careful with what he did, checking around corners, writing down what he saw, and keeping his calm instead of nearly panicking like he had just done.

It would be fine. It would all be fine. He wasn’t the world’s greatest detective for nothing, after all.

 

* * *

 

_Leeman Kessler and Co. not who they say they are. **STOP** Charm magic spell performed at the station. **STOP** Hand over to authorities immediately upon arrival in Neverwinter. **STOP**_

 

* * *

 

Hah. _Hah._ Yes. It’d all be fine, and even the people at the station were suspicious of these three, and _oh gods he was going to die._

They were back, and he was about to throw up, and there was a sick feeling in his stomach that was from a combination of dread and lies and other things thrown in. _(Fear? Never. A real detective never gets scared. Caleb Cleveland never really got scared.)_

“And what are your guys’ _real_ names?”

“Huh?”

“Uh?”

“What do you mean, pumpkin?” The elven wizard seemed the least thrown off by his question, raising an eyebrow and tilting his head to look down at him. Angus gulped slightly before steeling himself and throwing a shining smile, hands tight on his book.

“What is- What are the names that aren’t fake that you guys actually have?”

A whisper _\- “Should I kill him?”_

The color drained from his face.

And then they tried to take his interception book.

His panic must have shown and he scrambled back a bit, eyes wide as he stared at the three of them. No matter what he said, he was just a child, and- and-

“Don’t do- Don’t try that again! Just- I need to know what your guys’s names are, right now!” His voice wavered and Angus hated it, his tone stuttering, and when the book was ripped out of his hands a startled yelp left him and he stared at the human as the three of them claimed that it was just a goof. “I- It’s a great prank, and a really good goof. I need to know what your rea-”

Oh gods. Oh gods, oh _gods_ ….they were tossing it back and forth.

“Angus, where did you get this book?”

Was the color gone from his face? It certainly was now, because their eyes were on him in a different manner, in a more-than-curious way, and they definitely had something to hide.

He steeled himself and frowned deeply. “That’s not important, what is important is that the three of you tell me exactly what you’re doing on this train and what your real names are.”

They- they wouldn’t give it back. _They wouldn’t give it back and he was going to die here, in front of everyone on the train because he was stopping their path of murder._

Wait.

“How about I’m a little boy who knows that you’re lying, and I can yell and yell and yell, and get you in lots of trouble?”

...They gave him the book back.

He stared.

Three pairs of eyes stared right back.

“...I can explain everything if you come with me in my sleeper car. There might be prying eyes. And listening ears.”

Against his better judgement _(his truth-sense was screaming at him and his mind too but his gut kept murmuring “they’re fine, they’re fine, give them the benefit of the doubt!”)_ Angus led them to his sleeper car, trembling slightly all the while.

He was quiet.

They were quiet.

They...clearly expected him to tell them what was going on.

Again, against his better judgement, against what his mind was yelling, only going with his gut which seemed to always steer him the right way, always on the correct path- he spilled everything.

His name, again, his position as a detective, his _mission-_

And then they...started to reveal what they were doing.

His notebook out, scribbling down everything he could, he examined them closely, seeing signs of arrogance from the elf and a bit of discomfort from the human, too. His sense was murmuring truth, truth, truth, and his suspicions slowly started to drift away.

Well. They could still be the Rockport Slayer even with this other group guiding them.

"I have reason to believe that the serial killer, the Rockport Slayer, is somewhere aboard this train. Apparently there's something very valuable on this train, and they're going to kill whoever they need to to get to it."

The elf- Taako?- barked out laughter, doubling over in his mirth. “I- kid- a little late for that, my dude. Leeman Kessler- the guy who had the item- is dead as _fuck._ ”

The other two seemed to be looking at eachother like they knew this item, like they knew how valuable it was, and his mind halted slightly before one of them spoke and he heard static.

He blinked.

“Um, sir?” The human- Magnus- paused and turned to him, tilting his head. “Could you repeat that again? All I heard was….static.”

“Oh! The item is one of the G̸͝͠r̴̸̵̡ą̛̕͟͞n̸͜d̢͘͝ ̛͘͢͠R͜e҉̶̵̕l͏̵̛͠i̡͟c̷̶̛͟͟s̶̨! They’re, uh, pretty dangerous.”

“...You staticked out again.”

“Yeah, yeah, kid. It happens. Don’t worry ‘bout it.” The elf gave him a wide, sharp grin. “Don’t give yourself a headache. All that matters is that the item we need is hella dangerous, we’re getting it for our group instead of Leeman Kessler, and we’ll be outta your hair afterwards.”

They talked more about the item _(items? it was a bit hard to tell)_ until-

Until a scream pierced their relative quiet.

“ _Ohhh_ no. Oh no, oh _gods_ , oh no. We need to go check that out _right now._ ”

The Rockport Slayer had taken their first victim.

 

* * *

 

“...So what you’re saying is that the engineer got murdered and disguised and everyone found that out, battled Jenkins, tossed him off the edge of a train and everyone safely jumped off before the train barreled into the garden of the criminal and _promptly disappearing?_ ”

Angus pushed his cracked glasses up and offered a smile, wincing at the bruises aching on his face. “I wouldn’t exactly say _safely,_ sir, but that’s...sort of what happened!”

The face of the Neverwinter Militia officer in front of him was flat, tired. He looked like he dealt with too much shit every day, and Angus could get behind that.

“Um, now that I’ve reported, and we’ve gotten the message back to the Rockport City Council, can I go?”

A long sigh.

“...Fine. Go ahead, I don’t fuckin’ know. Stay in town for a few days in case we need you.”

“Uh, of course! I’ll be at the McDonald residence if you need me for the next week.”

(Would his grandfather be fine with only one piece of silverware? Well. He hoped he would be.)

“...See ya, kid.”

“Goodbye, sir!”

He walked off into the evening air, bag much lighter and his book of interception clutched tightly in his hands.

 

* * *

 

_Dear Angus McDonald,_

_The Neverwinter Militia has need of your presence. Come in the day after you get this at the central office._

_We’ve been getting missing reports for people that nobody remembers. We require your services for this investigation. Monetary compensation will be given._

_Cpt. Woods, Neverwinter Militia_


	2. Library Meetings and Moon Greetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or: Angus didn't expect a strange woman to take him to the moon, but sometimes that's just how things happen.

This didn’t make sense. None of this made sense.

It had been weeks and he was making progress, talking to people, but it was such a deep web of forgotten memories and thoughts bordering on fuzzy that he was beginning to be halted in his efforts. With everyone he talked to he got closer- everyone seemed to be connected to a handful of events that he just- just couldn’t think of properly.

It was driving him insane.

Everywhere he looked, he was pointed in another direction. Off to a nearby town to a friend of a friend that knew someone who they didn’t remember, who was written down but nobody could properly read the pages- he took those- and off to temples where the members were just as mystified as he was- but nothing concrete.

All he knew was that something had happened to all of these people, something important in their lives, and now they were just...smoke in the wind. Fuzziness at the edges of the mind.

The best way for keeping all of these fleeting thoughts straight were through his notebooks. He focused as hard as he could on the lines that he kept skipping over without noticing half of the time, made sure to go through every folder and inspect what he could every day- there were pictures, he knew, but he couldn’t get any meaning from them. Every time something- something- interfered.

He was taking too long on this for a detective of his caliber. He was supposed to have solved this already, but he didn’t.

Maybe he’d go on a trip outside of Neverwinter to...to…

Angus groaned, loud and long, and rested his head on the large table he was using when a librarian hissed at him to be quiet. He was in the Neverwinter Library- a valuable resource no matter the person- and had gotten a huge table all to himself to spread his notes out on, a map out to plan where to go next. There was this one- this one place, this-a-ways, which he kept skipping over _(just like those missing names just like- like-)_ and forgetting, and it was almost like he was going in circles now.

It didn’t matter how good he was if...if whatever this magic was kept blocking him and keeping him from the truth.

Speaking of it- truth was in short supply here, really.

It was true when he interviewed people that they were family members, friends. That rang as correct, but whenever they tried to state where they thought their family member had gone, what their name was- they trailed off or his sensing wavered every which way, claiming it as false and correct at the same time and giving him a migrane.

(He put that information in anyways, despite the way it scraped at his mind, the way interference crowded the edges of his sharp intelligence. He needed everything he could get.)

Grimacing, he closed a folder that was at his side and straightened up, frowning to himself before he jumped at a tap on the shoulder.

Angus whirled around, ready to say something loudly before he caught sight of the person’s arm and squinted, tilting his head to get a better look at...at…

His mind skipped over it. His eyes zeroed in on the woman before him.

She had a kind, old smile, one that spoke of decades of experience. Her fingers were wrapped delicately around a light staff, a soft accent to the blue robes she was clad in, and her ebony skin wrinkled around her eyes as she dipped her head to him.

“Angus McDonald, world’s greatest detective, yes?”

He squinted at her.

She patiently waited, watching him right back.

“...Yes, ma’am,” he eventually said, frowning and letting his fingers drum a rhythm on his thighs. “What are you...no. What’s your name, ma’am?”

“You can call me the Director,” she said shortly, voice warm and smooth as silk. He didn’t- he wasn’t getting anything from her. Maybe it was because she was avoiding answering him directly, but…

“Is that your real name?”

“No.”

A slight buzz in his fingers, a jitteriness in his body that he couldn’t quite explain. No answer, except for a creeping fuzz that made him freeze. Was it truth? Was it not? He couldn’t tell, and he was _always_ able to tell, and who the heck _was_ she?

The silence extended as he sized her up, mentally noting everything he could about her. She was an older woman- late forties, fifties, maybe?- and held herself with the weight of the world on her shoulders, almost. Her eyes seemed knowing as she waited patiently for him to speak, at ease despite how on edge he was.

Maybe she had expected this. Did she know the reaction she would get? The sharp sting of his mind when he noticed that something was off? Did she do this often? She was definitely calm, this Director, but maybe she hadn’t encountered someone as smart as him before.

(That said, she did know he was a well-known detective. Hm.)

“...Do you need me for anything?”

Her smile widened ever so slightly as she nodded again, an odd twinkle in her eyes as her hands curled further around the staff. “Indeed I do, Angus. Shall we talk about it in a more private area?”

“I’d rather not,” he chirped easily, a smile rising on his face as she noticed her stillness. Angus sat back down and started cleaning up the spread-out papers and files, a little note of victory ringing out in his mind. “I don’t follow strangers unless I have a good reason to, ma’am! If you know any silencing spells you could use those to give any privacy, but I’d really like to be in the view of the librarian while we speak.”

An uneasy silence fell as the Director sighed softly and nodded, settling into the chair next to his and casting a spell so that only they could hear their discussion. “That is...reasonable.”

He waited for her to continue.

She blinked at him.

Angus tilted his head.

After an awkward moment of waiting, she cleared her throat and looked away. “I lead an...organization that would greatly appreciate your services as a detective. We search for...hm...items capable of great destruction and safely demolish them so that the world cannot be hurt by them again. You have had prior experience with the acquisition of one of these...r̢̕e̛͠͡l̢͜͡i̴̡͞c͟͠s͠.”

He stared. “Could you, uh, repeat that last bit, ma’am?”

“You have been instrumental in the retrieval of one of the r͢͞el̷i̵̶cs. On the Rockport Limited.”

“That word staticked out. Do you know why it’s doing so?”

His body was so much more tense, even as his eyes lit up with that ever curious spark. First it had been those three people- Merle, Magnus, and Taako- on the train, and now it was this Director with her stylish clothes and knowing look and speaking of something that had happened at the place where he had first heard the static.

She seemed to collect her calm and nod. “...Yes. It is a safeguard, if you will, against mass panic spreading across the world. Some knowledge is best kept locked to prevent it, as you well know.”

Well. That was true. If everyone in Rockport had known about the serial killer? The economy would have crashed. People would be fleeing. Nobody would want to stay and possibly be the next target, and the loss of businesses there would have affected areas even as far away as Neverwinter.

He gave her that point.

So...the three had been explaining to him about their mission, and it seemed to line up with hers pretty well, so…

“Do you know of Taako, Merle, and Magnus?”

“They are the main group that goes and collects these items. Without them we’d have made no headway on keeping the world safe.”

As she kept talking, the more and more curious he was. But… “Why come to me now?”

Her face morphed into something uncomfortable as she shifted in her seat. He merely kept watching, curiously noting her reaction; almost like she was a bit embarrassed to say anything about it while he didn’t exactly get it.

“You, ah...you’ve been taking on missing persons cases lately, correct?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And you’ve noted that nobody quite remembers them? May it almost enter static at some points?”

His mind raced around, working quickly as he connected the dots. Seconds later he started and stared at her wide-eyed, interrupting her as she spoke.

“That’s because-”

“Because whatever you use to static things out has been making people forget about their relatives, and it’s connected to the destruction that these...these items have caused?”

He could see her surprise and he laughed softly as she nodded, looking a bit amazed at his train of thought.

“We...use something to make people forget. You were getting uncomfortably close to realizing our existence-” _(a group, yes, definitely bigger than just her and the three on the train)_ “-and we were either forced to...do something to stop you or offer for you to join us.”

“If you can’t beat them...hire them?”

“Exactly.”

His fingers drummed on the table lightly as he looked down at his bag, the papers and folders he had been looking over now stuffed neatly into it. Dozens of thoughts raced through his head- he still couldn’t get a read, he didn’t know any more of her motives- but...this was the most interesting thing he had gotten information on yet. A new mystery to be solved, and the promise of more work to come.

Hm.

“Will I be provided anything I need to live if I go to wherever you’re situated? Food, living space, tools to do work?”

“Of course,” she murmured, looking very much like a satisfied cat. “Have you decided to join us?”

He paused his fingers and looked around- at the cases, thinking of the Neverwinter Militia, and thinking of his grandfather.

Well. His late grandfather.

It wasn’t like he had anything to lose, really.

With that static, her avoidance of his sensing, everything rolling up into one- what had he helped get on the train, anyways? There had been no danger other than Jenkins, the Rockport Slayer, and that had really been the only thing they had handled-

...Taako did pick something up after the fight, maybe. He hadn’t caught a good look at it, but perhaps it was related? It had been small, though. Almost unnoticeable as the wizard had dropped it into his bag.

He hummed. “...Is there any going back?”

“...No, I’m afraid not, but I can guarantee that you won’t go bored while you’re with us.”

“...Might as well, then, ma’am,” he hummed. “We don’t need to stop by anywhere. We can just go now, if that’s fine with you. I just got back from a bit out of town and I have enough clothes with me to last a while.”

It wasn’t like he wanted to stay in his family home, anyways. It wasn’t worth it. Might as well start a new life, despite how dangerous it sounded, despite him being unable to tell how truthful the Director was being.

Maybe the static would clear.

She seemed surprised, but she brushed it off as he stood up and pulled a rolling suitcase out from under the large table, putting the bag on even as he grasped the handle. “Where to, then, ma’am?”

It was a moment before she shook off whatever was holding her back. “...A bit out of town. We’ll find our transportation waiting there.”

 _Well,_ he thought with a slight hum, _might as well go find out the answer to my problems now._

 

* * *

 

  
He wasn’t sure what he had expected, but it certainly wasn’t a secret moon base.

The Director had a small smile on her face as he rubbed at his eyes- they were flying up (in a glass ball, which was also absolutely wild) and one of the moons was getting ever closer while….while…

Hm.

That was a moon base.

He let out a soft breath of amazement, leaning forward in his seat even as static started to hum in his mind- yes, it was a moon but- but- she had hidden the fact that there was...there was…

Angus shook his head and moved on. It was too disorienting to think about everything for too long, so he focused on the people he saw as something opened in front of them and they entered the inside of the not-moon.

The Director seemed at ease, even as he wobbled on shaky legs after getting out. He was grateful for the moment to gather himself as she moved over to one of the other people there and nodded, conversing quietly with the person closest to them. They had a warm face, a kind note in their eyes as they shook his hand, offering a flask of what could be alcohol before the Director nudged his hand away.

“The name’s Avi,” they hummed, waving with the flask instead of extending a hand to shake. “You’re the first kid up here, you know that? ‘S wild. What’s he here for, Director?” He looked over and grinned even as she smiled- before static poured out of her mouth and Angus winced, rubbing at his temples lightly.

“ _Oh_ \- he hasn’t been to the V͏̷̧̡͢ơ͠i̴̕͟d͘f̸̷̛͠͝i̷͏s̨͠͠҉h̴͡ yet? Well, uh-”

“I’ll be bringing him there immediately,” she said, calm and composed even as Avi chuckled and Angus started to find his legs again. Her eyes flickered over to him. “Are you good now, Angus?”

“Yes ma’am,” he said brightly, even as he nearly stumbled as they started to walk off. “Uh- bye, Avi!”

“See you around, kid!”

Angus didn’t look too closely at much as they passed, grumbling ever so softly as the edges of his mind turned to fuzz, as interference laughed at him while they entered some- some kind of area. There was grass, domes all around, but he couldn’t quite put a name to it all, especially some kind of….symbol that his eyes kept running over and forgetting. He couldn’t draw a line from point A to point B and it was bugging him but- but it would be fine soon, he supposed, drawing from the short conversation he had been a part of just a bit earlier.

People waved at them as they passed, blinking at him oddly but dismissing him soon after they did so. He guessed it would be because of the fact that he was a child, really; he seemed to be the only one up there. _(Pride filled him at the fact before he remembered that pride wasn’t always a great thing to have.)_

  
The Director was quiet but commented on a few things as they walked- stuff like “We’ll have to get you a room for yourself- people I trust will be nearby-” but he tuned her out when static crept at the edges of her voice, threatening to make his headache worse. He merely hummed a tiny bit as they went along, figuring that he could ask questions after the static passed.

And maybe after he got something to fix the migrane pounding at him.

He didn’t pay much mind to the elevator that they entered, absentmindedly fidgeting with the sleeves of his shirt as the elevator music played. It was soothing, calming him down- nothing was causing any fuzziness at the moment, which let his mind clear.  
  
The elevator smoothly opened up a minute or so later, whirring softly as it did so. He squinted into the slightly dimmer room to see a line of guards that instantly parted as the Director moved past, opening up another door into a room where light pulsed from a large tank at the end of it. It was hard for him to take it in- there was something in this room, something big that he couldn’t pinpoint, and it was driving him mad.

It was fuzzier here. Fuzzier than the rest of this...this moon base. He squinted at the Director as she filled up a glass with something from the tank and extended it to him.

“Um, ma’am...why do I have to drink this?”

“This is what makes that static go away,” she said flatly. He would have _really_ appreciated for his sense to properly work around her right about now.

He blinked.

She sighed.

Eventually he shrugged and took it, drinking it all as quick as he could. It wasn’t the best flavor or texture in the world but it was bearable before- before-

Gods, he was so dizzy. The Voidf-

Wait.

Angus blinked wildly as information filtered into his mind, his memories finally clearing like the clouds on a sunny day. The names of everyone he had been looking so hard to find, their photos were finally processing, and he knew what had happened to the, now but if he told them now it would all be static- the edges of his mind finally cleared up, allowing him a deep breath as he finally let the knowledge flow. Strange symbols on the walls as they came here across the quad-

There was so much _more_. He had heard about the Relic Wars from accounts that he had forgotten, that he had skimmed over because somehow he didn’t recognize all of the words, and as he came back to himself he realized that he was grinning, beaming wide despite the overflow of information.

“I- Angus? Are you with me? Do you see the Voidfish?”

He turned and his breath was gone as he staggered back, staring up at the _huge_ jellyfish that was the main light source for the room. It floated there, humming quiet little notes that were music but weren’t-quite-there, and he stared up at it silently as it drifted before him.

“That is what is keeping us safe, Angus, on our mission,” the Director said softly, gravitas in her voice as she settled a hand on his shoulder. “To find the Grand Relics and destroy them so that nobody can use them ever again.”

He ignored the strange reading that he got from her to just stand there, steadying himself and rubbing at his sleeves as she talked about what was going on. A gauntlet, an Oculus that had been on the Rockport Limited, and the Gaia Sash that the three Reclaimers had just been sent down to get- it all settled into him and he nodded along, eventually turning back to her with a quiet little smile.

“So, um, what’s with the symbols around here?”

“They’re the logo of the Bureau of Balance,” the Director hummed, raising her arm so that he could- ah, there it was. It made sense now. “They are also on all of the bracers here and most wear them, no matter what they do. Seekers get information about the Relics. Reclaimers go to retrieve them. Regulators take care of those who misuse the Relics.”

“Take care of as in kill?”

She paused, looking slightly uncomfortable. “...Yes.”

He shrugged and pointed at the bracer she was wearing. “Will I have to get one of those?”

“Of course. You’ll be getting a removable bracer, since you’ll start growing soon, although most of the bracers here are permanent….”

As they started to walk off, the Director talking as they did, his eyes strayed to the lone Voidfish at the back of the room, the only thing still lighting the room. It seemed lonely as they left, as they moved on, humming louder as they kept going-

But as the door closed, he dismissed it, turning back to the Director. They had things to do, and a bracer to put on, and rooming to be discussed...

The Voidfish would be fine.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am a monster. i did not intend to write another chapter this quick. YET I DID.
> 
> welcome to the moon, please leave your luggage at the door  
> comments make my day btw. or night. since it's the moon. i'm so funny


	3. New Friends and Fancy Pens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or: Angus isn't sure if he's been adopted, or if the dragonborn was kidding.

The room was...quiet.

It wasn’t all that surprising, really, but it still made him blink and look around. The Director had only led him to his room before letting him get set up on his own, which was an odd allowance of freedom to him. All he was supposed to do today was to get accustomed to everything before reporting back to her tomorrow.

He didn’t know how to handle it.

Instead of standing still to ponder the order more he brought his bag up to the lonely bed in the room, rummaging around and pulling stuff out of it. The bracer on his arm was a feeling he wasn’t accustomed to and he frowned at it before trying his best to ignore it.

Even though the bag was magically expanded a bit, he didn’t have much in it. His case folders, a few sets of clothes, and a few books- he had no need for more. It didn’t help the feeling of loneliness in the room once he was done putting everything away, though.

The clothes went in the closet, the books went on a shelf, the folders went in the desk. Everything but the bookshelf was crisp, clean, and bare.

It made his skin crawl.

Rooms should be- be more lived in, right? Was he doing something wrong? Angus didn’t have the same issue with inns or any other similar establishments, but- but the McDonald Manor was decorated finely, covered with family treasures that he couldn’t bear to look at.

Most of the things there were covered in a fine layer of dust.

His grandfather had been alright. Gruff but kind, disapproving of his work up til the end but glad that he went out, even though it hadn’t been to schooling. That was normal, right? Going out, becoming the world’s greatest detective, and ending up on a moon base?

_(No, it wasn’t. It wasn’t normal, he wasn’t normal, he had never been the best child and his grandfather had known it, had watched him go with sad eyes-)_

He worried at his lip and sat down at the desk’s chair, looking around the room. It didn’t feel like he lived there. It was so bare, so clean that he couldn’t bear to do anything else to it, to even sit on the bed, and it was all so wrong.

Maybe it was his fault. Angus, not-the-normal-one, the last of his family besides distant cousins in Goldcliff, the one that could only give his grandfather one piece of silverware on his deathbed. Angus, who hadn’t been a good enough child to stay with family when they were sick, who went out on adventures and didn’t feel at home in his own house and who left for the moon when a hand was extended to him.

Angus took a deep, shaking breath, fingers tracing the Bureau of Balance design on his bracer as he stood up.

Everything was fine, and everything would stay fine. He’d get more things to make the place seem lived-in although this wasn’t home, he’d find ways to stay busy, to get his mind off of the dumb problem. What was wrong with him? Weren’t most people glad to get a place to stay, to find a new home? Instead he was blank, hollow even as he was steadied, lost without something to tether him.

He sighed, letting the nervous breath out, and turned to examine the room once more.

Absolutely pristine. Smooth metal, polished wood, straightened covers. No scratches, no marks besides anything on his books.

...Maybe he’d go out for a bit. Get his mind off of the room, and he’d be better once he was back. Get used to the bracer, used to the new environment; this had to just be the fears of a newcomer. The space would feel like home eventually, and he had a purpose here, something to strive for, something to accomplish.

He moved towards the door, extended a hand before he stopped, eyes staring at the handle.

He was the only kid on the moon, right? Some people had looked surprised when he had walked past earlier. _(So he was another oddity here, then.)_

Angus paused and sighed, brought his hands up to his face, breathed slow and deep and took a moment to calm.

That didn’t matter. He had just as much of a right to be there as anyone else did.

 

* * *

 

A deep breath, a quiet exhale, and he was out of the room.

His eyes flickered back and forth, finally taking the time to gather notes about the area. The hallways were clean, sleek with only doors and the Bureau logo decorating it, lights on the ceiling as he went along. They were below the quad, since it was the best housing area, and it was almost like a maze if you didn’t have the elevators.

A few common rooms were scattered throughout, and he passed one that held a laughing dwarf and a halfling, quietly making his way deeper into the moon.

When there wasn’t anybody around, it was quiet. He wasn’t sure if it was normal or not for the hallways to be so empty- he had only passed one person that was actually in a hallway, and they didn’t seem inclined to speak with him.

Well, he had only seen just those people until a dragonborn dropped from the ceiling, scaring the living daylights out of him.

“Hey, kid! What’re you doing here?” Her smile was wide, full of sharp teeth, and short blue scales covered her body. He flinched back, eyes staring straight at her, and it was a long moment before the dragonborn seemed to realize that her greeting had gone wrong.

“Uh, kid, you okay? Lost? Did I scare you?” Her voice was slightly softer but no less bright, her smile more lips and less teeth. “There, uh, aren’t really supposed to be kids on the m…” The dragonborn’s eyes spotted his bracer and they were suddenly right there again and he couldn’t breathe and he was shaking and-

“Shit, um. I’m not used to kids. I’ll stay here.” He sighed softly when they gave him a moment to gather himself, standing up straighter and looking up at her.

“Um, ma’am...I’m, uh, a new seeker. I’m Angus McDonald, world’s greatest detective?” His questioning tone got a laugh and a nod as she extended her hand.

“Carey Fangbattle, regulator, rogue extraordinaire. Didn’t think the boss would hire a kid,” she- Carey- hummed, a slight downturn to her mouth before he shook her hand. She was all smiles afterwards, a slightly sheepish look on her face. “Sorry if I scared ya there, Angus. Most of the people here are used to me jumping down on them.”

Angus squinted before looking up, spotting an open air vent and looking back down at her questioningly. She cackled after noticing his curiosity.

“Air vents are the way to go. No reason to use the hallways when you can creep around wherever you want!”

“Could you use that to go into personal rooms?”

“Fuck- uh, shit- sorry, dang- um, I can? But I’m not about to peek into rooms that aren’t mine, yknow? The Director would find out and I’d be fired or put into the brig and uh, I really only go into my room that way. Or hallways or common rooms or shit- stuff like that.”

He watched her quietly. There wasn’t any hint of a false reading and- and he slowly smiled, nodding at her. She could be trusted to keep her word.

She stared back, a grin playing on her face.

“...I guess it’s nice to meet you, then?”

A cackle, a pat on the back, and suddenly Carey was crouching down to his level. “You here alone, Angus?”

He shrugged- what did he have to lose?- before nodding. Carey’s eyes were hard as diamond afterwards and, uh, maybe he shouldn’t’ve said that because she looked quite unhappy now.

“Why did the boss just- what are you, ten? Eleven?- why’d she just drag you up here with no family and friends and nobody to talk to? Why the fuck- pardon my language- did she do that?”

“It’s nothing much,” he laughed softly, looking away from her and rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m the one that agreed to come up here, after all! I nearly discovered your group before I was brought up here, anyways.”

 _“KILLIAN, WE’RE ADOPTING A KID,”_ the dragonborn suddenly screeched down the hallway, making him jump and look back before he saw a large orc woman walking down towards them.

The orc looked bemused for a second before spotting the slightly upset dragonborn and examining Angus as he shrunk at the attention. She seemed a bit busy but she stopped to chuckle before-

“Uh, Carey? Do you really mean that? And why’s he up here? Where are his parents?”

“They’re not here,” Carey grumbled, picking up Angus even as he protested, keeping him soundly in her arms. “He’s the new Seeker we heard about. The one who was with the Reclaimers on the train.”

Killian blinked at the two of them before sighing and shaking her head. “I- Carey- we can’t just adopt the kid. He might have family back down on the surface, and the Director most likely made the choice to bring him up here, right? He’ll be fine.”

“Um-”

“Shush,” Carey said, tapping him on the nose. He frowned even as she started speaking to Killian. “She totally didn’t know, babe. This kid knows nobody, and she most likely just- dropped him off at his fuckin’ door. We’re adopting him and that’s final.” _(Was that a hint of truth he could sense from her words?)_

“Do I have a say in-”

“We’ll, uh, talk about adoption later.” Killian had red covering her face as she chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck as she grinned at them. “So, what’s his name?”

“I’m-”

“His name is Angus!” Carey beamed while Angus fumed, unable to get a word in edgewise. “We’re keeping him. No talking about it later, he’s our kid now.”

Angus could sympathize with the soft groan that the woman gave. He felt very much the same.

“Uh, anyways- I guess we can bring the kid along and talk later- the boys are about to start the battlewagon race, and we’re able to get the signal from the pylons up here. Wanna go watch? Everyone’s in the big room and there’s food and-”

Angus yelped as Carey darted off, still holding him and cackling long and high as they sped through the hallways. “Of course I wanna see them race! Besides, the Raven’s there too!”

He was never going to escape, was he?

 

* * *

 

Thankfully he was put down before he could get a headache. They were in a big common room full of people he didn’t recognize (and he shut down his anxiety before it could start screaming at him, thankfully, a huge room and lots of people were not fun at all) and situated right by Carey and Killian, who were screaming at the racing he could see in front of everyone there.

He knew battlewagon racing. It was dangerous and illegal and he had seen footage of it once, had read about its creation. People died out there, and he knew these three people even though they hadn’t been that nice and- and- what if they died? What if they lost, and wasn’t this on a quest for a Relic?

Angus’ eyes were wide and he didn’t know he was trembling until a clawed hand settled on his shoulder. He looked up to see Carey, mouth in a grin before she realized how he was doing.

“Hey, uh, Angus, you okay?”

“Good,” he squeaked, and the frown that answered him spoke everything that she needed to say. “Um. It’s very dangerous out there, ma’am, for all the racers. What if-”

“They’ll make it,” she said with such conviction that he could feel it, the truth ringing out despite the possibility of failure. “They’re strong, kid. They’ve handled two relics already, and they won’t fail to get a third.”

Angus blinked up at her for a long moment before turning back to the projection on the wall, situated on a chair just high enough that he could see what was going on. Taako, Magnus and Merle seemed attacked from all sides at some points and barely escaping death before- before-

Was that a _binicorn?_

A roar came from the room as a spectral rainbow steed caught Magnus, galloping along with the battlewagons as everyone cheered. They were getting close to the end, it seemed- and was the steed talking?- but overall they were facing difficulties even as they started the approach to the end.

His nails dug into his skin as he looked away, uncomfortable with the worry and uncomfortable with the loud room. It seemed to be just a moment before Carey’s clawed hand patted him again and he let out a soft laugh.

“Hey, did you see that? Think Taako was the one to cast that,” Killian said with a grin, making Carey nod and nearly topple Angus over with a harder pat on the back. “Shit, I met him in a cave and he was doing a Magic Missile and now he’s creating a spectral binicorn? Crazy.”

“You met him in a _cave_?” Despite the overload to his senses, he could sniff out a story when he heard one, and Killian’s chuckle didn’t stop him from staring at her with wide eyes, “How did you meet Taako, ma’am?”

“Not ma’am. Killian.”

“Uh. How did you meet him, m- Killian?”

“Well I met all three of them at the same time while I was off to kill someone for trying to get the Phoenix Fire Gauntlet. Killed ‘im, then got roped up into the whole Phandolin mess, and brought ‘em up here, but uh. I maybe nearly left them to die at first? They didn’t know about the whole deal. Static, y’know…” She trailed off with a blink before shaking her head. “You can ask me later. It’s, uh, not the best story to tell, and we have- holy _SHIT!_ ”

Angus flinched as the whole room collectively rose in sound level, looking back to see Taako with a bugbear, dodging lasers. Wait. _Lasers?_

His hands clenched at his sleeves tightly, worried and stressed with the people all around and the loud voices and oh gods they were going to die, what were they doing-

Wait, what had just happened?

He blinked wildly when he saw the sudden winner minutes later. That had been some feat of magic, for sure, and the Raven seemed pissed, and- wait, what was going on? The Raven seemed to be furious, and magic was being cast and-

He stared at the blank wall as the projection shut off, ignoring the celebrations around him until Carey picked him up and started twirling him around. He paled and shook his head, squirming until Carey put him down.

“Uh, kid, what’s wrong?”

“I- I have to go,” he mumbled, pulling a false smile before darting out of the area. His nerves were strung high, thin as he shuddered, tense on every end as he retreated back to…

_Where was his room?_

Angus wildly looked around as he slowed to a stop, trembling as he noticed that he had no idea where he was. Where was his room, again? It could be any of these doors, past any of these similar areas, and he would have no idea.

“Fuck,” he whispered to himself, hands balling into fists. “Fuck, _shit_ , I- I can’t get lost on my first day, _no_ …”

“Kid? Why’d you run off here?”

He spun around to spot Carey walking down the hallway, a worried look on her face as she stopped in front of him with a click of her claws. “These are the multi-person rooms. You got a single, yeah?”

“Yeah,” he mumbled softly, not looking at her- what could he even say besides that? He had been _dumb, stupid,_ the room may have been loud but he didn’t have to flee-

“Hey. Angus. Deep breaths, okay? You’re panicking a little bit.”

He wasn’t panicking. He’d _never_ panic, he had to keep his composure like a good boy, like his grandfather had taught him, like-

Carey shifted his arm so that he could see it. Faintly, he noticed that he was trembling.

“Oh,” he whispered. “I...oh.”

“Yeah,” she said softly, kneeling down to look him in the eyes. “Was it too loud or something? Shit, kid, we could’ve gotten a quieter place. I-”

“You don’t need to change things just for me, miss Carey,” he said, straightening and offering a little forced smile. “I’m fine! Been in worse situations before!”

He pretended to not notice her deep sigh as she stood back up. “I...we can talk about this later. We’re going to wait for the Reclaimers to come back up, but the Director called me to get you and bring you to her office. Seems like she needs to give you more info on your job or something.” A truth, which relaxed him and made him tense at the same time- what would the specifics of his job even be?

“Oh, um, okay?” He looked up at her and noticed the slight smile as she motioned with a hand to the elevator a ways away. “Over there?”

“Her office is pretty easy to get to,” she said with a chuckle, starting to walk and making Angus blink and start along at a slightly faster pace than he was used to. “I mean, there’s a sign by the door and everything. We’ll have to go on the quad to cross over- don’t worry about anyone partying, everyone’s going to gather by the front soon- so hopefully it’ll be a bit quieter than normal.”

It wasn’t quieter than normal.

He was tense as they made their way over the grass, weaving through a few enthusiastic Regulators and Seekers as Carey guided him to where the Director’s office was. He had been there for a few minutes earlier in the day to get his bracer, but he hadn’t been clear-minded enough to examine where they were too well.

“...Here?” He blinked as they entered a dome and went down a bit, up to a door with a tag next to it that just read “the Director.”

“Here,” she confirmed, smiling and opening the door for him. “See you later, okay? I’ll visit you after the Reclaimers get back or something.”

“Alright, Carey,” he mumbled, giving a slightly tense wave as he walked in.

The Director seemed...happy.

Angus blinked as he walked in to see her seated at her desk, a relaxed smile on her face as she sat back. “Um, ma’am, I was told you needed me?”

“Glad to see you’re getting to know people,” she said instead, motioning with her head towards the shut door. “Carey and Killian live a few doors down from you, if you ever want to visit. They’re some of the best people on the moon.”

“That’s…” He sighed. “That’s good and all, but do you need me for anything, ma’am?”

She seemed to start before humming and pulling out a Stone of Farspeech, handing it over to him. “I forgot to give you your Bureau Stone of Farspeech. This will be yours to use for the details of your assignment: you are to assist the Reclaimers from afar with your Stone and give them anything they need in the way of information.”

“...Do they know I’m here?”

“...No.” It was...extremely frustrating that he couldn’t read her.

“Will you tell them?”

“I’ll connect to your frequency and call you in after the Reclaimers tell me what happened in Goldcliff,” she said smoothly, opening a journal and starting to write even as she spoke. “It should be an hour or two until they get here, though, so you can look around or write your own notes. From what I’ve seen, you’re like me- notes calm you down.”

He squinted at her.

She kept on writing in some language that he couldn’t understand, even when he peered over to look.

Angus squinted more.

“You’ll get a headache if you do that any longer, Angus,” she hummed, and he wilted slightly before drumming his fingers against his legs nervously.

“Um, do you have any empty journals? And a pen? I didn’t. I didn’t exactly bring mine here. Or a book.”

Wordlessly she handed him an absolutely beautiful journal, bound with care and with an attention to detail that was instantly noticeable to his trained eye as well as a simple but elegant pen. He looked at the both of them and flipped to the first page, hand smoothing over the paper on habit and humming softly to himself.

The texture of paper was just- nice. Textures mattered so much in items and food, and taste did too, and when everything got too loud it was comforting to curl up in a quiet space and write, pen scratching against the paper and calming him. Books did that too, feeling the pages and flipping them, breathing in that smell that only books could have, and just…

His eyes flickered over to the Director.

She seemed relaxed too, in a way that she hadn’t been before, ink fluidly moving against the page as she smoothly wrote. A soft smile spread across his face as he watched, looked away, and started to write in his own journal.

He had found someone similar to him in the Director, it seemed, and he’d definitely be asking if he could use the corner of this room to calm down in sometimes.

Well. If she was fine with that. Maybe she wasn’t. Maybe she didn’t like him and would rather he went back to his too-clean room instead of this haven of pens and paper and books, clearly a hybrid between an office and a study, her picture on the wall and a comforting air over the room as he pulled his feet up to write more comfortably-

But he could think about that later. Right now he could calm down and wait until he had to leave, until the three had to debrief, until he would be meeting them again.

Merle, Magnus, and Taako.

Were they doing well?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> angus and lucretia are autistic and this and you can pry this projecting from my cold dead hands
> 
> hope everyone's having a good day! and liked reading this! and angus is pretty much going to have a million parents. yep.
> 
> next up: the boys are back in town


	4. Midnight Snacks and Bullshit Acts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or: the boys are back in town, and a tarot deck catches Angus' eye.

Angus nervously tapped his feet against the smooth floor of the building as he stood outside of the Director’s office, eyes moving to look at a gnome that stood beside the door. The Reclaimers were inside, and he was to meet her when his Stone of Farspeech received the frequency, and it was. Very nerve-wracking.

Maybe he could fill the silence with conversation.

“Um...so you work closely with the Director, right? What’s your name?” He turned to the gnome curiously. He had seen him mostly following others and he seemed to stick close to the Director, although it hadn’t been the case when the Director had come down to the surface.

“Davenport!” The gnome gave him a cheery smile, leaning against the wall as they waited, although he said nothing more.

Angus nodded and looked away, out to where he could see some of the quad from a window. “So, uh, how did you get here? Did the Director bring you? Maybe a Seeker? I’m new, so I don’t get how things work, but…how did you arrive?”

“Davenport, Davenport!”

He blinked and turned back, eyebrows furrowing as he took a closer look at Davenport. He had a slightly confused look in his eyes, that wide smile still on his face, and his butler-like outfit was smooth and clean.

A mystery.

“Are you alright?”

“Davenport!”

Angus sighed and rubbed at his temples, stopping his conversation with the gnome. His frown was deep- he had never encountered anything like this before...maybe he’d bring it up with the Director. It could be the cause of a spell or- or something else. Maybe the reason why he had such a dazed gaze.

It wasn’t like he could linger on it for long, though, as his Stone of Farspeech hummed in his hand softly and he replaced his wondering frown with a bright beam, pushing open the door to the Director’s office and greeting them with a voice happy and clear.

“Hello, sirs!”

Magnus gasped from where he was sitting down and Merle did too, to an extent, although Taako merely startled and whirled around. He found himself on the receiving end of attention from the three of them as well as the smiling visage of the Director, and he gave them all a slightly smaller smile as Taako started to speak.

“Oh, shit- coulda sworn you died!”

He stared.

Magnus turned to blink questioningly at the elf in the room.

Taako just raised an eyebrow. “Seriously, kid. Thought ya died. Any chance you’re a ghost or something, chico?”

A nervous laugh bubbled out of Angus as he shuffled in place, letting the door close behind him. “Um, I’m...I’m definitely alive, sirs! I’m an alive boy! I’m going to...to be working closely, uh, pretty closely with you three from now on.”

As the three seemed to all look at eachother, Angus couldn’t help but let panicked little thoughts course through his mind. He wasn’t friends, really, with any of them, but- they had thought that he was dead? Even though he had gotten up? Was he really that forgettable?

Angus was so caught up with his little dilemmas that he barely noticed when Magnus tried to pull his bracer off, yelping as the metal refused to budge. It might be removable, but it was only with the Director’s magic- he was. So, so grateful that it was keyed to a magical signature.

“Hey- uh- so we’re still doing this, huh?”

As he stared, Magnus at least had the decency to look a bit sheepish and back up. From behind the three, the Director seemed absolutely unimpressed at Magnus’ antics. Which was...good? At least there was a responsible person in the room besides him.

He waited until Magnus was back in his chair and for Merle to stop grumbling under his breath so that he could continue.

“You guys destroyed the train and we all, we all jumped off of it, and you gave me the-”

“So good to see you, thought you-” Angus stared straight at Taako as their voices overlapped until the elf stopped, smoothly going on with what he was saying.

“-the only remaining piece of flatware from my grandpa’s set.” It didn’t seem like it was all of it, from when he had talked to Taako after the train had crashed- some whisper of lying, although Taako seemed more than skilled enough to bypass at least some of his abilities with a high enough deception check- and he frowned even as Magnus started to talk.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah!”

“That was some cold shit, huh,” Taako said, snorting and leaning back in his chair. Angus merely smiled a bit and moved over to the Director while she started to explain how she got him (had that just been this morning? Time was so strange on the moon) and ruffled his hair a bit as she stood. He flushed red, ignoring the grin Magnus was shooting at him and the bored look that Merle had as he looked around- ignoring Taako’s slightly tilted head.

“So now he’s our pet!” Magnus seemed overly enthusiastic, and Angus couldn’t help but let out a too-quick chuckle as he spoke.

“I- well, I dunno ab-”

“I’ll add him to my inventory!” Angus’ smile grew unsteady as he gave a pat to his large bag sitting on the floor, although he kept laughing at the- at the pretty decent goof.

“I wouldn’t say that much-”

“One Angus!”

“-but if you- if you do have questions about something, or if I have any intel about a mission, I’ll- I’ll be able to give it to you guys on the fly.” Anything to stop Magnus from trying to have him as a pet. The three Reclaimers in the room were almost like a small nightmare, terrorizing him a bit- but it was all for a goof. Definitely all for a goof.

The Director’s hand on his shoulder was a welcome steadiness.

“Good boy, Angus.”

“I’m. I’m not a dog, I’m your coworker.”

“Great, great, boychik,” Taako said, faking a yawn and lowering his chin to look at him with those unreadable eyes. “Totally amazing. You’re not dead, though, right? I just...gotta double check these things.”

Angus’ smile was paper-thin at this point. The hand on his shoulder tightened ever so slightly. (In concern? Just to help? He didn’t know, but it was appreciated.) “Nope. Still...still corporeal. Still alive and able to help.”

“Are you evil?”

All eyes in the room turned to Magnus.

"...No?"

“Uh- cool, cool.”

Angus sighed softly as the Director picked up the conversation from there and sent the three of them off, letting him relax and sit down in one of the vacated chairs when they were gone. All the air, all the smiles went out of him as he sat- any encounter with them (of the small few he had participated in so far) was...exhausting.

The Director was quiet as she sat back down, leaning back in her chair and looking at him, a very slight smile in her eyes. “You should be able to warm up to the three of them, Angus. They’re just...a bit much.”

He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair, eyes flickering around the room before settling back on her face. That was an apt description, really- a bit over-the-top, a bit loud, a bit much. Their interaction, short as it was, had left him feeling as if he had just run a marathon.

“Are they always like that, ma’am?”

The Director had a peculiar look on her face as she stared at the portrait of herself- regal, elegant, beautiful- drumming her fingers lightly along her desk. “Yes,” she eventually murmured, turning away to stare at her window with that unreadable gaze. “Yes, they are, Angus.”

Maybe he should stick to only talking to them when work was involved, then. Maybe.

 

* * *

 

Sleep was impossible.

He stared up at the ceiling, fingers brushing against the sheets of the bed he was given- everything was quiet. It was the perfect atmosphere for sleep. He had been getting used to the moon base for the past few days, and he was going to start actively working as a Seeker tomorrow and just-

He just couldn’t sleep.

A little whine came out of him as he sat up in the darkness, hands gripping at the sheets tightly. He should be able to sleep. What use was he if he wasn’t properly rested? A detective had to be sharp, and insomnia didn’t help with it, and he had been fine for the past few days, so why now?

Angus frowned as he turned on the lamp nearby, shuffling out of his bed and letting go of the sheets as his eyes adjusted to the light. It wouldn’t do to be awake all night, but if he was, he might as well try and find a remedy before he went to go try and sleep again.

Clad in plain pajamas he opened the door to his room, poking his head into the hallway and looking back and forth. This late at night- past midnight, he knew- nobody was out and about, and the only sound was a soft hum that must be the magic circulating the air inside. It was eerie and a bit cold- the only change he made before he left, though, was to grab a jacket.

He padded along nervously, feet barely making a sound. The socks didn’t help him to move any faster, but that was- that was fine by him. It wasn’t like anything would chase him.

Lost in his thoughts and a bit of paranoia he found himself on the quad a few minutes later, blinking and tiredly looking around. More lights were on up here, a few lamps softly glowing with arcane energy, and he made his way along the path without much aim at all.

It was a minute before he noticed something off- the lights in the dining hall were on, although nobody was in there.

Angus hummed curiously, tiredly, and pushed on in.

A quiet moment passed before he heard an annoyed grumble from the direction of the kitchens, further in. Like a good detective, Angus walked up-

-and opened the door.

His eyes met those of an elf- Taako, he recognized, blond hair up in a messy bun and a scowl on his face- and they both seemed to freeze, neither of them wanting to do anything until the elf groaned and turned away. He walked a bit closer, blinking up at the tall elf.

“Sir, what are you doing up? It’s past midnight and-”

“I know what fuckin’ time it is, chico,” Taako snapped at him, making him jump a bit and stand back further. “Better question is- what’re _you_ doing up here?”

“Can’t sleep,” he chirped instantly, making his way to one of the stools scattered around the kitchen and perching on them to watch Taako. He seemed at home in the kitchen despite his obvious skittishness, long ears flickering every which way as he frowned deeply.

Faintly, Angus could only think of how fascinating he was- they had only met two times, really, but both times had caught his attention instantly.

His eyes flickered to what Taako was doing- making something, it seemed, that smelled sweet and delicious- something slightly floral, perhaps. “What are you making, sir?”

“None of your business, that’s what.”

“I can smell it from here.”

“I don’t care. It doesn’t matter what I’m making. You’re not getting any.” Curiously, the second sentence struck him as false- a suspicious little curl in his gut, almost like he felt sick. Taako seemed on edge as he talked, squinting at the bowl he was stirring in front of him before his ears flattened and he dumped the batter he was mixing into the trash. “Doesn’t matter, kid.”

Angus carefully stayed silent as Taako’s ears kept angrily swishing around, almost never perking back up but always in the universal sign of _angry or sad elf._ He watched him clean out the bowl, a disgusted snarl on his face, mumbling under his breath too quietly for him to hear.

Hm.

After a long moment, Taako seemed to relax slightly, putting the bowl in the sink and looking back at Angus. His mouth opened as if to say something before he huffed and shut his mouth again, making his way to one of the cabinets while Angus stayed comfortably on the stool.

“Sir, what’re you doing now?” A sweet voice, a quiet one in the late night atmosphere. Taako just sighed as he started to pull out a handful of things, bringing milk out from the magically chilled fridge and starting to turn on the heat.

“Taako’s magic hot chocolate, kid,” he responded flatly, ears giving off how uncomfortable he seemed. A...lie? “Best hot chocolate you’ll ever have.” Truth. Hm. Maybe it was just because of him saying ‘magic’?

Angus nodded faintly.

Taako, despite his attitude, was totally at home in the kitchen. At times it seemed like he was waiting on the presence of another to pick up any slack, someone to hand him ingredients- there was a slight scowl on his face when he seemed to realize that he was alone, although Taako obviously didn’t notice that he was doing so.

A more comfortable silence fell, although Angus decided to break it and change the conversation after a few more beats of quiet.

“So, sir, how did you become a Reclaimer? And how did you meet Killian?”

Taako’s surprised bark of laughter rang out through the large kitchen as he glanced back, an eyebrow raised high into the sky. “You haven’t heard the story already, bubbeleh? Have you looked at anything this place has on Phandolin?”

“I only know that it was the site where the first relic was retrieved,” he hummed, legs rocking back and forth from where they hung from the stool. The smell coming from what Taako was making was- absolutely wonderful. He wanted to drink it now if he could, really. Even if it was too hot. “I’ve mostly been looking at where the other relics could be!”

“Well, it was originally in Wave Echo Cave,” Taako said, a bit of the laughter still in his voice. “Killian tried to fuckin’ kill us, since she was going after a Seeker that wanted the Gauntlet and thought we were with him, or something.” He snorted. “Then we saved her life, I picked up my sweet umbrella from a dead person, and Gundren- our employer before the BoB, I guess- wiped out Phandolin.”

He stared.

“Dead. All gonezo. Blasted with sweet sweet relic fire. Off in the Astral Plane doing whatever dead people do.”

“I...the Relic wiped out the whole town?”

“Nearly got us, too, boychik. All because Gundren hated orcs and some orc shot him with a crossbow.” Taako’s laugh held no sympathy for- for however many were killed. “Then...boom. Roasted city.” All truth. It made him sick to his stomach.

“Oh,” he mumbled softly, blinking a bit before he realized that he now had a warm mug of hot chocolate in his hands. “...Huh?”

“Taako’s special hot chocolate,” the elf said, sipping at his own mug with a sharp grin. “Drink up.”

Angus couldn’t help the little smile that slipped onto his face, faint as fog, and he sipped at the drink before his eyes widened.

“I- sir! This is _amazing_!” He seemed excited, peering down into the mug as if trying to deduce what Taako had done. It felt almost- magical, although Taako had been lying about that. “You’re so good! Do you do this a lot?”

When he looked up, Taako’s grin was faded as he tapped the mug lightly with lavender nails, looking anywhere in the room but at Angus. “...Not as much as I used to.” With that, he dipped his head a bit and the cutting grin was back, nothing cruel in his smile but nothing kind anymore. “Get some sleep. Human boys need it, I think.”

And with that, he was gone, skirt swishing elegantly out of the room, and Angus blinked at the empty space he left and the ingredients still left out on the table.

...Taako was kinder than he let on, really. He had only talked with him a few times but- he could tell.

His smile was tired, soft as he put away what he could, pushing any ingredients that went on the upper cabinets to the side before he walked out of the kitchen, nursing the wonderful mug of cocoa.

Maybe he’d check in here again if he couldn’t sleep. Taako looked like he didn’t get much often, anyways, and he had spotted the elf taking catnaps around the moon over the past few days.

He seemed like he needed some company.

 

* * *

 

Days were hard to get used to, on the moon.

Everyone was loud, calling out for their friends from across the quad or sometimes shouting about how their side of something was better, and in the hours of the early day it gave him a headache to stay there for long.

He was trying to find a quieter place when he went around a few domes bunched together to find...huh. A garden.

Flowers were in bloom, trees rose up to the surface, but it was well-hidden since the domes it was behind weren’t transparent. He guessed it was put there for the people who wanted a quiet space to think- chairs and benches were spaced around, from what he could see.

He walked in, a few books on magical artifacts tucked close to his chest, and nearly dropped them all when he rounded a corner and saw someone. It was...yeah, it was Merle. He hadn’t been that talkative when he had met them on the moon, although he had plenty of goofs from the train, and Angus wasn’t quite sure how Merle felt about him.

Oddly enough, he seemed to be talking to the plants in front of him as they slowly bloomed.

“Come on, baby-”

“Hello, sir!”

He watched the dwarf startle and laugh, glancing over at the now fully bloomed flowers before he looked at Angus. “What’re you doing here, kid? Thought you would be in...the library or something, I don’t know. You’re a bookish kid.”

“More natural light here,” he said quietly, smiling. The atmosphere in the area was calm, the orderly garden almost humming with happy energy, and it sunk into him the more he stayed. Plants were just- calming.

Merle didn’t say anything but gave him a shrug, walking to some smaller plants and settling down before murmuring to them softly. Angus stayed for another moment before retreating to curl up at the base of a tree instead of on a chair or a bench, opening up a book and starting to read.

He didn’t know how many hours it had been but he was broken from his reading by a growling stomach, and he looked around when a gruff laugh reached him. Merle was watching him, closer now, an amused grin on his face.

“Go eat! Don’t die, kid- and it’s not like this garden won’t be here when you get back. I won’t be here when you get back, though.” He brushed off some dirt from his pants and stood up, starting to make his way out of the garden while Angus scrambled up, gathered his books, and followed.

“Why, sir?”

“Fuckin’-” He could barely hear Merle’s grumbles, but he could hear what he said afterwards. “The Director wants us for something. Training, I guess, for Pan knows what. Doesn’t matter much to me.”

“You three are the Bureau’s only reclaimers, now,” he hummed, looking at Merle’s face go into a tight frown. “Um- but, I mean, I meant that it was why she could be calling you in for training, maybe?”

“Maybe,” the dwarf sighed, stroking at his beard lightly before picking up the pace. “Go get food or something. You’re going the wrong way.”

Angus paused to look at where they were before he spotted Merle booking it, scowling and realizing that the feeling in his gut was that of a lie, not of anxiety.

“I- hey!” He frowned when Merle was out of sight, sighing and starting to walk again. He wouldn’t be able to catch up, anyways, and he was hungry.

Maybe he’d see Merle around later.

 

* * *

 

Dinner was a perfect time for him to claim one of the common rooms as his own, curling up in one of the plush couches and settling in to read by arcane light. He could go get food after the rush was over, but for now it was the perfect time to start reading this tome on old artifacts.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when a rough hand lightly settled on him and he startled, jerking up to see a face with healthy sideburns framing it.

“Hello, Ango,” Magnus said with a large, soft smile, almost like a puppy. If the puppy had enough power to kill with a hug. “What’re you doing here? Don’t growing boys need dinner?”

“I’ll get some later, sir,” he chirped, closing the old book and setting it down on the nearby coffee table as Magnus sat down beside him. “I could ask you the same question, sir! You don’t live on this floor, right?”

“Nope,” Magnus hummed, sitting back and pulling out a deck of cards to idly thumb through. “Was looking around. Got a bit lost.”

True. Angus shrugged and curled up, eyes falling upon the worn deck that Magnus seemed to lovingly carry. The cards showed clear signs of use over the years, but they were cared for with a softness that he didn’t see often- no tears were in any of them, although some of the pigments on them had flaked off.

It- wasn’t a normal deck of playing cards. The closer he looked, the more he could see a beautiful detailed image and- huh, it was a tarot deck.

Magnus, with tarot cards? It was curious, really, and it looked like it was a habit ingrained in him to mess with the cards when he had nothing else to do with his hands. Angus made a mental note of that and tilted his head, looking up at his grinning face.

”How’re you doing, sir?” As if fitting the mood his voice was hushed, soft while Magnus glanced over at him.

“Doing alright,” he said back, just as softly in contrast to his usual loud tones. “Taako’s been complaining about the rooms we have. He had to go get a mat a few days ago to cover up the bottom, since it shows the world below. Merle doesn’t care about it. I think it’s cool, but Taako refuses to go into my room now.”

Angus watched curiously as it all rang truth, as it all hummed in his bones and whispered through his hair and as the soft light of the arcane energy glowed from above. “Any training? You’re the only Reclaimers, right?”

“We got a day off from that,” he chuckled softly, turning to look down at his cards and then back up at Angus. “What’ve you been doing?”

“Reading about powerful artifacts in the past to see if any of them could possibly be linked to the Relics or the Red Robes.” Angus pointed to the tome- _Olde Artifacts Far and Wide_ \- and ran a hand through his hair. “Um, it has a lot of words from other languages thrown in to explain things, so the Director’s been helping me- but I don’t want to bother her much.”

“Sounds cool. Never been one for books.”

A long pause.

“Um- you have a, uh, that’s a tarot deck, right?” The words poured out of Angus’ mouth before he could stop them and he turned bright red, staring at Magnus with wide eyes. To his credit, the fighter only blinked wildly before looking down, a wide grin spreading across his face.

“Yeah! I don’t have any magic or anything, but these help to pass the time, although they’re bullshit.” Curiously, he got a mixed reaction from that. Strange. “Want me to do something for you?”

“Sure, sir!”

Magnus shuffled the deck idly, that goofy grin on his face mirrored in his eyes as he motioned for him to pull one out. Nervous despite no reason to be so, Angus stared at it for a long moment before- before-

He pulled off the top card.

Magnus flipped it around.

Angus blinked at the sight of a moon with a few wolves howling up at it, a slight smile on his face as he examined it.

“The moon…” Magnus hummed, looking up at the ceiling as his fingers drummed against his leg. “One day you’ll leave the moon to fight a bunch of super dangerous monsters! And you’ll beat them all!” His grin was so wide, amusement so bright that he didn’t notice how still Angus was.

_Truth._

How could it be true? Guesses like that, dumb things like that gave him no readings, nothing at all, but Magnus had- was his sense just wrong? Angus stared with wide eyes as Magnus laughed, feeling that sense of it-must-be-true-trust-it thrumming under his skin and along his nerves and through his fingertips.

A high pitched, nervous laugh bubbled out of him to match the man in front of him.

“I- that’s fun, Magnus,” he chirped, standing up and clutching his book to his chest with a too-wide smile. “I- I wish I could stay, but I need to go do something! I’m sorry, sir!”

As he made his retreat, watched by a confused pair of eyes, his mind ran laps with confused whines and anxious cries.

There was no way.

What had happened? That wasn’t logical, it wasn’t true but it was, and he wanted to scream and pull his hair out because of the frustration. He had been able to rely on his sense but- was it a false positive?

He had always been able to trust it before. It had never failed him except around the Director.

In his room, Angus groaned, head in his hands and sitting on the bed.

He would just have to watch Magnus carefully. It could be a sign of- something else- but maybe it wasn’t. He didn’t know.

It would be too lucky if Magnus was some form of seer-touched, one of the few humans in the world with- with an ability.

He’d find out in time if his... _prediction_...was true or not.

It was just a matter of waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoa this is longer than i expected  
> thanks for reading! ill try to keep updating, although now that my break's over i have less time to write, so you'll just have to sit tight!
> 
> THE BOYS R BACK IN TOWNNNNN  
> (hope yall r doin well)


	5. Buying Books and Suspicious Looks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or: he didn't expect his first shopping trip on the moon to end up with a strange fear of talking cats.

Angus strode through the hallways of the Bureau with purpose, passing a few people with a shy little wave before entering the elevator. He let the elevator rise and tapped his feet impatiently, a smile on his face even as the door opened on the floor above to let in some others. It was just- a little longer-

He left the elevator, grinning ear to ear as he watched Bureau members putting up decorations.

He had seen the ways cities decorated for Candlenights- only the best holiday of the year- but he had never celebrated much, and it was fascinating to see everyone so into it. Even he had gotten into it this year, which was why he had stopped studying the Relic Wars at all.

He had to get gifts.

When asking Carey and Killian where he could buy gifts for everyone, they had pointed him in the direction of Fantasy Costco; he doubted he’d find anything there, since it was a Costco, but maybe he’d get lucky! They had assured him that it wasn’t like any normal Fantasy Costco down on the surface, after all.

They had immediately shot down the idea of going into Neverwinter.

Even the Director had leveled a stern gaze at him- it was perfectly safe down there at this time of year, but despite all of his protesting, they had refused and said that they wouldn’t allow him to go unless he found another group to go with. The truth had made him frown.

And so, as a last resort, Fantasy Costco it was.

He laughed as he saw Avi perched in one of the trees on the quad, wrapping lights around it instead of being over at the cannons, ready to shoot people down. Everyone was in the Candlenights spirit, and it was...surprising.

_“Fantasy Costco, where all your dreams come true! Got a deal for you!”_

That jingle was...far too loud.

Angus winced but grabbed a cart, blinking as it magically shrunk down a bit before he rolled it into the store.

Thankfully, there wasn’t a greeter at the door. Every Fantasy Costco back on the surface had one, and they wouldn’t let him in without a special card; he guessed that on the moon there were different things allowed, though it was still curious-

“HELLO, child! Welcome to FANTASY COSTCO!”

Angus yelped, scrambling back as a cat appeared in front of his cart, standing still in front of the...thing as their ears twitched. _What kind of creature was this?_ All he had been told about Fantasy Costco was that most things you needed were up here, and it was good to make sure you had enough money beforehand. But. What the heck _was_ this thing?

“I’m GARFIELD the DEALS WARLOCK!” The smug-grinned cat vanished and appeared a few feet away as Angus cautiously started to move again, staring at the warlock with wary eyes. ...Wait. Garfield. A cat.

Killian had warned him against this, although he had forgotten.

_Be careful around the cat, kid. Unless you have to, don’t make a deal with him._

Huh.

“Hello, sir,” he said politely- kindness in the face of anyone, even a deals warlock, went far. “Are you the owner of this place?”

“I’m not just the OWNER! I’m the ONLY WORKER here! It’s a TOUGH job to keep this place running, child!” Truth.

“...Sure.”

He looked around the large building with a frown. So many products filled- well, every shelf and every space that wasn’t somewhere for customers to walk. He squinted at Garfield before promptly walking and swerving around him with the cart. He had things to do, and he didn’t want to bother with the cat.

“Where are you GOING, child?”

“To get Candlenights presents,” he told the warlock, only blinking at him with a sunny smile before going back to what he was doing- searching the store. “I’m sure you have other customers to talk to, sir! I’ll get back with you when I’m done looking.”

Large eyes peered back at him as Garfield got close, close, _so close-_

And grinned as he stepped back.

“Of COURSE! The customer should ALWAYS have the ideal shopping experience!”

With a flick of his tail and a puff of smoke, Garfield the Deals warlock had vanished.

Angus squinted at where he was before sighing- he guessed it was always like this- and beginning his hunt for presents.

...What did everyone want?

Somewhere between the cursed necklaces section and the chocolate snack shelves, he paused to take a moment and think. He had been so panicked, so distracted that...he didn’t know what anyone wanted. He was still new, even though he had gotten to know everyone, and he could only think of an idea for the Director; another fancy pen, to go with the many she had on her desk.

Maybe they had a fancy pen section here.

But what about everyone else?

Angus frowned and kept on walking. He’d need to either keep it general enough that nobody would hate him or maybe share something he was interested in, which could backfire but maybe had potential. Detective things, Caleb Cleveland novels, puzzles…

Wait.

That was _perfect._

He ran out into the main section with his cart (after grabbing a few chocolates), scanning the store until- yes, there was a section for books! He grinned, making his way over and ignoring the empty sample booths in every other aisle. Angus was a boy on a mission.

Tales of Kepler, Dry River Hauntings, Caleb Cleveland and the Pine Guard...oh, that was a new book!

Angus grinned as he put the newest Caleb Cleveland book into his shopping cart before browsing more.

Ah- there it was! One of his favorites, and they had it in bulk, too! Caleb Cleveland and the Lady Flame had been a hit, mostly due to the well-written characters and the search for the Flame-Bright Pendant, which had been the central plot. It even had a romance on the side which didn’t detract from the plot, which had been a problem in one of the earlier books in the series!

Dumping many of the books onto his cart- yes, enough for everyone, which was good- he detoured to snag a few fancy pens, checking the combined prices for everything and sighing happily when he realized he had enough money left over. Man, it was good that only the newest Caleb Cleveland book was a hardback.

“I see you’ve been SEARCHING for BOOKS!”

Angus was startled again as he reached checkout, even though he had seen the warlock beforehand. They seemed weirdly- weirdly excited, for someone who was just checking out items. He gave him the items and watched as the cat picked up Caleb Cleveland and the Pine Guard, smiling far too wide to be normal as he stood, waiting to pay.

“...Yes, sir? I was here for gifts, and...the gifts I got were books?”

“And CHOCOLATES! VERY good for a healthy boy like YOU!”

He frowned. The cat grinned wider.

“The LOWEST I will go for this book is FIFTY GPS!”

Angus scowled more. That was- extremely false. The price tag on the book had been 10 GPs, anyways! Was he- was he trying to…

“Sir? Uh, that’s bullshit. You’re willing to go lower.” He pulled at his sleeves and straightened, catching a glimpse of a Bureau member a ways away staring at their interaction with a horrified look. Huh. “The price tag is 10 GPs, and that’s the most expensive item in my list.”

“NO, child! I’m afraid that I can’t go ANY LOWER! Unless you want to...MAKE A DEEEAL?”

He stared. “I’d like to buy these items for the price on the tag, please. No deals made. None at all. Not allowed. I’m not even buying a magical item. Please save the deals for the next customer to check out.”

“Hm, let me see that...WELL, you drive a HARD BARGAIN, kid!”

He didn’t know what was going on anymore.

“10 GPs and it’s YOURS!”

One book down. Nine more to go.

“Um, alright, sir.” Angus watched with a soft groan as the book was deposited back into the cart, and everything else on the conveyor belt was still there. The cat picked up the next book- one of the nine copies of Caleb Cleveland and the Lady Flame that he had gotten for gifts. “Will we have to bargain for the other books I have in my cart, too? I really just want to get them at the price they’re listed at.

Garfield’s grin somehow grew and grew and grew as he twirled from the other side of the counter. “Well, I mean, I could always give you a BULK DISCOUNT for a lock of your hair but if you REALLY MUST-”

“No. Please. I don’t want a bulk discount. I don’t want deals. I just want my stuff.” He wanted out of there, where the cat couldn’t get to him and where he could go back to his room to safely wrap them up and maybe eat a chocolate or two. “Please.”

“Well, THAT’S a shame!” The cat finally started checking out his other books, ears twitching as the amount totaled up. “That’ll be FIFTY-EIGHT GPs!”

“Okay, thanks, bye sir! Have a nice day!”

He booked it as soon as the items were in his cart, ignoring the shouting that was coming after him as he made his escape.

“Wait, I have OTHER DISCOOOUNTS!”

Only an empty space greeted the warlock until another nervous patron stepped up.

“Well, then, let’s MAKE A DEAL, _shall we?_ ”

 

* * *

 

Thankfully, that...creature hadn’t popped up after he had left. Angus had woven through the frantic Candlenights decorating on his way back to his room, had safely placed them underneath his bed so that he could wrap them later, and picked up the newest Caleb Cleveland book (a gift to himself, really) before heading for the Voidfish’s chambers.

He had been planning on visiting again. The vision of seeing the calmly floating jellyfish had given him peace, and despite all of the guards near the entrance, he was sure that he would get in. Were people not allowed to visit?

Hm. He’d bluff his way in if he wasn’t allowed, anyways.

Angus stepped into the elevator, book held to his chest as he pressed the one button there, waiting patiently until-

“Hey, uh, can you wait a second?”

Startled, Angus watched as a hand slipped through the closing door, making it open back up as a half-elf stood before him. Their face seemed kind, if a bit sad, and their messy hair was pushed out of their eyes as they offered a small smile. “Sorry, kid,” they said quietly, pressing the button to go to the Voidfish’s chambers and watching as the door closed. “You going to the Voidfish’s chambers, too?”

“Um, yes, sir- uh, sir, right?” Angus tilted his head up as their smile widened ever so slightly.

“Yep. My name is Johann. I haven’t seen you around before…?”

Thankfully, he hadn’t commented on his age other than a slight reference. That was...a relief. Angus had been getting. Quite annoyed by the comments at this point. “I’m Angus McDonald,” he chirped, smiling up at the half-elf with a little chuckle. “World’s greatest detective! And a new seeker.”

“Sounds fun,” the hummed, stepping out as the door opened and waving at the guards as they walked past. They just grinned and waved back, which was odd to him- they had been very, very still when he had first visited.

“...What are you doing, visiting the Voidfish?”

“I feed it,” Johann said, motioning to a few papers in his arms and the case for a violin slung over his back. “It likes information, so. My jobs’s to make compositions and feed them to it. It likes the music, at least. I play in here, too.”

Angus nodded absentmindedly as the room opened up before him and his smile widened, seeing the spectral jellyfish as it twirled in greeting. It seemed to be pretty happy, floating there. ...At peace.

“Hello, Voidfish,” he said quietly as they approached, reaching up to touch the glass lightly as Johann sat down on the ground and sorted through papers. The sound of a soft snort made him look over to the half-elf and tilt his head.

“What?”

“Just…” They sighed and looked up at the Voidfish, more relaxed than Angus had seen him in the elevator. “It’s nice to see that someone else talks to it. I’m the only one that visits it, really. Everyone just thinks that they’re not allowed to come down here.”

“...Is it forbidden to come down here? Or not?”

“Well.” His chuckle was a bit sad. “I mean, you’re allowed to come down as long as the Director or I say it’s fine? Even without one of us. Either nobody wants to see the Voidfish or they want to get in immediately. And then the guards turn them back.”

“Oh.”

Angus took another look as the glow from the tank brightened a bit. “So, um, is it okay for me to come down here? I...I wanted to read my book down here, since the rest of the Bureau is busy with getting ready for Candlenights.”

“As long as you don’t disturb the Voidfish,” Johann said, looking down at his papers once again and shuffling through them. “Hmm...what to play…”

“So you’re not a Reclaimer or Regulator or Seeker or anything?”

“Nope. I’m a pretty good bard, though.”

Johann paused, seeming to reconsider. “Well. Maybe the best violinist in the world? But yeah. Good bard, even if nobody really hears my music.”

“Because you feed the sheets to the Voidfish?”

He hummed in confirmation, opening up the violin case and inspecting the rosewood violin as he picked it up. “Nobody but Bureau members remember it, and I mostly play down here. Where nobody listens.”

It was a quiet, solemn note that he ended on, one that made Angus take a closer look at him and frown. The sadness in him ran deeper than the surface, and just- well. Maybe he needed a friend.

“If you want someone to listen to you, I can come down and work here a few days a week,” he offered, watching as Johann started a bit and smiled.

“...I’d appreciate that,” he eventually murmured, a quiet joy in his eyes as he picked up his violin and looked at Angus. “I really would.”

Angus stood, the light from the tank feeling almost ethereal as Johann started to play, wrapping notes around and around in the empty space in the room, filling it up with light and emotion, with a bard’s song.

He’d be coming back. Absolutely.

 

* * *

 

A quiet night. Almost nobody was out and about, the decorating was done, and Angus softly tapped on a dome’s door with a smile and waited.

And waited.

And-

The door opened softly and he looked up to see the Director’s surprised face before the door was opened further and he was welcomed in, quietly setting the books he had brought down on a small table while the Director offered to pour tea. He just smiled and shook his head.

He had been...curious, lately. What was going on with Davenport? He wasn’t there right now, but he had no doubt that he was nearby, maybe in his own quarters, asleep. There were questions bubbling up here and there that he couldn’t quite answer himself, but...maybe she had answers.

It was good to be in her study, anyways. It was calming.

“Angus McDonald,” she murmured, voice tired but still warm, like it always was. “What brings you here so late? It’s getting close to midnight.”

“I was hoping you could answer a few questions I have about your, um. Is he an assistant? Davenport?”

Her face seemed to grow a bit sad, a bit heavy, and her shoulders hunched just a bit. Hm. A curious response, really.

“Davenport,” she repeated with a sigh, “is...well. He used to be better. An irreversible spell hit him and he just- forgot so much. He forgot the ability to speak, besides his own name. I’ve been searching for a way to help him but...whatever has affected him is beyond my control.”

Angus hummed, noting it mentally as he watched her. Without his- his truth-reading, only body language helped him. She looked guilty, a bit caged in, which was different than true sorrow if what she had said had really happened. It made him more alert, quietly suspicious.

She wasn’t telling him everything, or she was giving him half-truths. Why?

He nodded absently and looked around, eyes caught on the portrait of her before moving around to the bookshelves. Many of the books there had nothing on the spines but a number. Hm. Some had symbols instead of numbers, or were just blank at all- which was curious. A title usually was on the spine in some fashion.

“Is there any reason why you asked?”

He startled a bit and looked back over, smiling sheepishly at her as his attention was brought back. “I met him on my first day, ma’am,” he chirped, eyes scanning her posture and her face as she listened. “I was just curious, since he didn’t really respond with anything besides ‘Davenport’ when I talked with him. I...I figured you’d know more.”

“And you were right,” the Director hummed, eyes just a bit sharper, just a bit brighter. He blinked back at her. “Now. Were you hoping to get reading done in here?” Her form seemed to loom over the desk ever-so-slightly and he laughed nervously- she was...intimidating, that was for sure. More so than any commander or high-ranking official on the surface.

“Maybe,” he admitted with a shy little smile. “It’s easier to get work done in here.” His room was too clean, the common rooms too loud, and the moon’s library felt like somewhere he shouldn’t stay- he was going to visit the Voidfish since he had the okay now, but...It was night. Maybe the Voidfish wouldn’t want him there.”

Silence fell and his arms started to jitter a bit, his legs bouncing slightly before he forced them to stop. She spotted them, smiled- but said nothing.

Gosh, he admired her. She was nice, but- she was a source of mystery. Hiding from his senses. Giving what had to be half-truths. He couldn’t trust her, not really- but he wanted to.

He sighed- before brightening at her nod.

“You can stay in here for an hour, but you must go to bed afterwards, alright?”

“I- yes, ma’am!”

Thoughts ran circles in his head as he settled back in the chair and pulled a book into his lap, smiling as he opened it. He was a detective, after all, and detectives didn’t always play it safe- maybe he’d go and...search through some things after Candlenights. He needed to get to the bottom of this. What magic could be shielding her from his senses, and what she could be hiding from him.

What she could be hiding from all of them.

His smile was wide as he turned a page, glanced up to find the Director writing on a few sheets of paper, and looked back down.

He’d be careful, but...he had to risk being found. The truth was always paramount, always of the most importance- and whether she wanted him to or not, however much he liked her, he had to figure out what was going on in the moon.

The truth, the truth, the truth- a powerful force, a strong motivator, the gateway to knowledge.

He’d find it out, and he’d make his way through the secrets that this place held.

What kind of a detective was he if he didn’t?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fuck, writing garfield was so fun  
> how about we MAKE A DEAL?
> 
> anyways hello!!! hope everyone's doing well!! i worked on a roleswap for most of the week because i had sudden inspiration LOL  
> check me out on tumblr at @inknbone  
> and have a nice day, yall!


	6. Giving Gifts and Growing Rifts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or: a pretty successful Candlenights goes awry.

Angus stood still in his too-clean room, in the cool air as he sighed, looking at the bag he was holding before looking at his closed door.

He...hadn’t really expected the Reclaimers to invite him to their Candlenights party, but he had hoped. A lot of people he knew were there too- Johann, the Director, Carey and Killian- but should he go? He hadn’t been invited, after all, and it would be rude to join in uninvited.

The boy looked down at his bag, full of copies of Caleb Cleveland and the Lady Flame, and sighed.

Well. He had gifts to give, anyways. Hopefully they’d be happy that he had thought of them! He didn’t mind not getting any gifts in return if they had just not wanted to give him anything. Angus was just used to getting nothing! It’d be fine!

Then why was he dreading going to the Reclaimer’s rooms?

Standing so still, ever so silent, he gave a soft hmph and opened the door, striding out with a bright smile stretched across his face. He could fake it till he made it, and nobody would be able to say otherwise. They’d like his presents, and he could hand the Director fancy pens and a copy of the book too, and everything would be fine.

He just had to make it to their rooms first.

 

* * *

 

A few long minutes later, Angus opened the door to their rooms with the smile still plastered against his face, laughing when Killian instantly noticed him and walked over, ruffling his hair with a large toothy smile.

“Hey, kiddo! Good to see that they invited you too, huh?”

“I, um-” He giggled, ducking out of the way of her hand and adjusting his glasses. “I wasn’t really- invited? But. I do have gifts for everyone!” He didn’t see her slight frown as he perked up, reaching into his bag and pulling out a book.

“Uh, here, ma’am! I got you one of my favorite books! I know not everyone reads books, but it’s a really fun read!” He looked around with a frown, another book in his hands. “Where’s Carey?”

“She couldn’t make it,” Killian said with a laugh. “She needs sleep, anyways, and I’m taking gifts for her too. You got anything for her? Another book?” She grinned wide when he handed her another one sheepishly. “Great, kid. She loves mysteries and romance and all of that stuff. Be ready for her to find you and start yelling about what she likes, yeah?”

“I- yeah!” Angus’ smile was a bit wider this time, rocking back and forth on his feet before he stopped and tilted his head at her. “So she’s okay?”

Killian nodded before going to fish out something from her pockets and- handing something to him? He blinked at the stone in his hand, inspecting it and realizing that it was...huh. It was a duck. “Ma’am?”

“Did you think I wasn’t gonna give you a Candlenights gift?” His face seemed to say it all as she frowned and kneeled down to give him a hug. “Of course I’d give you a gift, same as anyone here! I think Johann is giving out something, too, and...Taako made macaroons!”

“He bakes?” Angus smiled softly as he thought back to- well, the nights that he had seen Taako baking and cooking and throwing it away in frustration for who knew why. “That’s...that’s really nice.”

Killian ruffled his hair again and nodded. “Mhm. Gonna go give the Reclaimers their gifts now. You go and...speak to the Director, I guess? She seems open.”

He smiled brighter than before and waved as he moved away, in a bit of a better mood than before as he sat next to the Director, who seemed to be taking a break. “Um- ma’am? Miss Director?”

She startled a bit but turned and smiled at him. “Angus! How are you doing?” She spotted the bag in his hands and smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkling softly in what seemed to be happiness. “So you’ve brought gifts for everyone. I would have brought-”

“It’s fine, ma’am,” he hummed, pulling out a book and the pens that he had gathered for her over the past few days. “These are for you!”

She looked them over and her smile seemed to widen before she placed them on the coffee table in front of them and clasped a hand on his shoulder. “They’re wonderful,” she said softly, and- was this how it felt to give gifts and have people like them? Why was he tearing up a bit? He still had more people to give books to, oh _gods-_

“Calm down.”

He blinked, staring as the Director raised an eyebrow at him. “Candlenights does get emotional, sometimes, but you might want to reign it in.”

“I- okay, ma’am!” He hopped up and backed away, not saying much as he booked it and bumped into Johann, who looked as uncomfortable being there as Angus felt right now. He steadied himself and smiled up at the half-elf.

“Hey, Angus,” he hummed, smiling down at him. “You good?”

“Perfectly fine,” Angus said with a new smile, fishing out a book and handing it to him. “I, uh- got books for everyone. I’m sorry if you don’t like reading, I just thought it would be nice and it has a great story and-”

“I love it.” Truth.

He stopped, blinking and seeing Johann’s soft smile as he examined the book. He seemed interested and- well, he didn’t seem to smile all that much, so that was good. Angus said nothing as Johann reached into his bag and pulled out a small bronze box, handing it to him.

“I, uh, thought you’d appreciate this more than some of the others. It...it has some of my compositions in it. You’ve heard some of them before, but- maybe you’d like to listen to some music in your room? Some of them are good to listen to while reading books, I think, and this one is...specialized for you.” Johann seemed a bit red as he looked away. “Um. I’m not used to people wanting to listen to a lot of my music, so...yeah. Thanks.”

Angus was already hugging Johann. How could he not? It was- it was thoughtful, and kind, and maybe it would make his room feel more like home and just- “Thank you, Johann,” he whispered, and as another pair of arms went around to hug him, he smiled wide and squeezed a bit before stepping back. “Nobody’s ever- ever really done something like that for me before!”

Johann looked surprised, ears twitching slightly as he looked down at him. “What do you mean?”

“Well- I don’t really? Get Candlenights gifts?” He laughed and looked down at the box, grinning ear to ear. “And this was so nice! And thoughtful! And, um- I should have gotten you something better. Uh. Sorry.”

“No, no, it’s fine!” Johann was grinning wider now, a hand on his shoulder as they stood in a quieter part of the room. “I...I really appreciate it, Angus. Thank you.”

He left him a bit teary in the corner of the room, wiping his eyes with a smile. It was quick matter of gifting Avi his book, although Avi hadn’t thought about giving him anything- which was fine, really! He didn’t expect much, anyways.

He made his way over to Merle, Taako, and Magnus, waving with a large grin as he walked up. Only Magnus looked excited to see him, but Taako’s ears seemed to raise slightly from their neutral position, which made him smile.

He had seen all of them around the base often, and just- they were all great, really, if a bit rude sometimes! Their goofs were funny, although they could sometimes be mean.

“Hello, sirs!” His eyes were bright and his spirit was cheery as he made a stop in front of them, ducking out of the way of Magnus ruffling his hair. “Uh, happy Candlenights! Are you three doing well?”

“ _Amazing_ , boychik,” Taako hummed, outstretching an arm to lightly tap him on the nose. “Maggie’s just been- carving shit for a while. Merle’s been doing dumb plant things.” Close to truth. He seemed to ignore the noises of his companions as they protested, leaning against Magnus with a grin and a plate of what seemed to be macaroons nestled into one arm.

“I’ve been making gifts and training,” Magnus interrupted, the scowl he had pointed towards Taako shifting into a smile for Angus. “Oh, I, uh- I actually have something for you! I didn’t have time to make anything fancy and- are you tearing up?”

Angus sniffed, wiping at his eyes and shaking his head as he straightened and smiled. “I’m fine, sir! Just, um, moon allergies.”

They all paused to look at each other before shrugging, Magnus handing him what seemed to be...a small little carving of a book. “Since you seem to be reading whenever I see you!” The book had little marks in it like a title and a symbol he didn’t recognize on the cover, but- it was small and light enough to be on a necklace, maybe, as a charm.

His grin was wide and maybe just a bit teary as he pulled out their books, handing one to each of them.

“These books mean, uh, a lot to me, sirs. They’re from my favorite young adult book series, Caleb Cleveland: Kid Cop, and they taught me a lot about, um, you know, checkin’ things out and solving crimes, and cracking clues!” He shuffled in place, looking at none of them directly as he smiled, rocking back and forth on his feet.

“This is awesome,” Magnus said, grinning- not the truth, really, but not...entirely false. Huh. Merle didn’t seem to like it much, although Taako was inspecting it with the air of someone who didn’t quite get it- but that was fine. Maybe they’d read it later and tell him if they liked it!

“Got nothin’ for ya, kid,” Merle said gruffly, breaking him out of his thoughts and back into the present. He just smiled, nodded, and turned-

“Uh, listen, Angus- I have something for you too.”

He turned to see Taako, ears slightly downturned as he reached into his bag and pulled out...three spoons. Angus’ eyes grew wide as he took them, gasping slightly and holding them close. It- his family’s silverware- he’d be the only one to appreciate it, really, but he had more of it now!

“I- thank you _so much,_ sir!” He was really tearing up now, laughing and holding the three pieces of silverware close. “I- now I only have, um, four out of forty-eight pieces, but I’m- I’m so glad! I can’t believe it! Thank you, Taako, sir!”

“Now listen, I uh, it took me a while to buy these back from... the place where we lost them- don’t think about that too much.”

He squinted.

Taako’s ears lowered even more.

He squinted a bit more. “Wait, what you just said- like, I’m deducing, that what you just said when you-”

“Shh, _shh_.” Merle shushed him and he turned to face the dwarf, eyebrow raised before he sighed and shook his head. He didn’t really get what Taako was trying to get at, although he sensed that something in that was a lie, but...he had some silverware back, and that was what mattered.

“Still, uh, thank you sir, I guess even though you may be lyi-”

“Kiddo, that’s enough chatting out of you. Off we go, Director’s coming. Shoo.” Taako made a shooing motion with his hand as he backed up, smiling.

“Um, okay, thanks, bye!”

He backed off as the Director approached, not seeing her slightly concerned look as he went around the room to hand off books to those he hadn’t talked to yet. Brad...the librarian who was kind to him whenever he came in…

It was a few long minutes as he made rounds and nibbled on the snacks provided, although he just...just couldn’t relax, for some reason. It felt like something big was about to happen, and soon.

_“How did you get this frequency?”_

At the edge of his hearing he could hear the Director speaking into her stone and he turned, blinking as he saw her face frozen in something between a poker face and panic. He stepped closer to hear, but not close enough to be noticed- something told him that she wouldn’t appreciate interruptions, not now.

“YOU DID _WHAT_?”

Angus startled as she moved past him, not walking closer to her afterwards. Her rigid stance, hands curled into fists, eyes narrowed- all the signs of someone ready to attack or defend, really, and she didn’t seem to be in a great mood.

What was going _on?_

Everybody seemed to notice the atmosphere in the room as something fell over them, eyes flickering to the Director as she hissed at whoever was on the connected Stone, writing things down in a journal with the fancy pen he had given her.

She was- well, she had never exactly been upset during his time at the Bureau. Everybody else seemed to be surprised at the Director- so it was...she was very even-tempered, normally. That made sense. It seemed to be that she didn’t get that emotional unless it was something of importance- was it…? Was it something with one of the relics? Had someone found a relic and was using it?

With a final jagged movement of her hand she wrote something down and tore a paper out of the notebook, striding over to Avi nearby with a stormy face before handing it to him. “Move the headquarters to these coordinates right now. Pronto. We're in a hurry.”

He ignored the Reclaimers trying to make goofs nearby, absolutely on edge as Avi looked up, a confused frown on his face.

“These uh, these coordinates are south of here.” True.

“Yes?”

“The- the moon typically doesn't move south.”

“Just _do it!_ Just go! Just do it.”

Angus watched, a bit startled as Avi made his way out of the room quickly, clearly in a great hurry as the Director worried at her lip and tapped her foot. He listened in as she explained the situation to the Reclaimers- someone misusing a relic, a lab about to fall, transforming the world into crystal.

She swept over to the Reclaimers and he stepped back as she drew them away, out of the room and to another part of the base- maybe the hangar? He noticed Carey, Killian, and Boyland (who had just arrived) following them and he tilted his head, humming lightly as the room was left quiet and subdued.

Johann held his violin, a peculiar little frown on his face. Angus walked over to him.

“Johann, sir? Are you alright?”

“Just...just fine,” the half-elf sighed, kneeling on the floor so that he could start putting the violin back in the case. “I was looking forward to playing a bit more here, but…” He motioned to the room as others started to trail out. “Not as much of a point when nobody’s there to hear.”

“Oh.” Angus shuffled in his spot as eventually they were the only people left in the room, watching as Johann straightened and picked his case up-

-and his Stone started to buzz.

He blinked and opened the connection, glancing between Johann and the Stone as the Director’s voice started to come out of it.

_“I’d like you in my office as soon as you can make it, Angus. You may be needed to help the Reclaimers on their way through Lucas’ lab. If Davenport is the only one there when you arrive, you can go in. If anyone else- anyone else- is there besides Davenport, do **not** enter. Alright?”_

“Alright,” he chirped a bit nervously, glancing over at Johann and offering a smile as the musician nodded. “I’m on my way, ma’am!”

“You can do it,” Johann hummed, smiling. Truth. “From what I’ve seen, you look smarter than the three of them put together. Not that they’re not impressive or anything, you know?”

_Truth._

Angus blinked again and gave him a wide grin before darting off, waving as he went. “Okay, uh, Johann, see you later! I’ll visit the Voidfish tomorrow if I can!”

He left the room with a large smile, taking an empty elevator up to the main floor and weaving his way through disgruntled partygoers. Even parties not in the Reclaimer’s rooms had been cancelled, which was interesting, but he couldn’t pay too much attention to it as he made his way to the Director’s office.

She needed him. Maybe.

He spotted Davenport at the door but nobody else as he approached, and he offered a smile to the poor gnome before opening the door and entering in. It was almost like he had left it when he had seen the Director last- quiet, the portrait of her stern face still up there, bookshelves filled with much-loved tomes, journals, and books.

Idly, he slipped one off of the shelf, making a cautious look towards the door- the little window let him see that nobody was coming- and opened it, squinting as- as a headache rushed to him with unexpected force.

His eyes skimmed over the page, but...he could only really comprehend about a quarter of what the page was saying, most of it he could read but couldn’t...couldn’t...it was slipping his mind. A familiar- interference slithered in.

_Static._

That. That didn’t make _sense_.

His eyes stared down at the page, reading but not reading, confusion rising as he shut the journal and closed it. On a whim he slipped another one out and even the first page was a mix of visual jumbling and barely any recognizable things.

He had been given the ichor.

Was there a...a…

Angus hissed through his breath as his mind hit a wall, putting the second journal back in the bookshelf and sitting down in one of the chairs facing the Director’s desk to think. Nothing was...right. He had been suspicious earlier. Now, he was _highly_ suspicious.

Something was going on, something that he couldn’t quite recognize, and it was- freaking him out, at least just a bit. With each new thing he discovered, each new tidbit, the Director seemed...less trustworthy. Her attitude towards Davenport, guilty without proper reason, these- journals, and…

There were so many little pieces of the story that felt off. But she had to guard her secrets closely, had to have parts of the base guarded if she was the leader of a secret organization, and, well.

There were parts that did not match up. Quirks. Bits and pieces. He had to investigate carefully, but...there were other things he could do, too. If the Bureau’s story wasn’t perfect, the information on the Red Robes had to be interesting, too.

Who were the Red Robes, exactly? Had the Director just made them up to get them to retrieve the Relics?

He worried at his lip while in the quiet room, eyes flickering around.

Maybe, with the small amount of magic that he had and that he was learning, he could start- investigating.

There were many, many hallways in the Bureau. Many that seemed to be abandoned, or just unused. Something had to be hiding around those corners, and if there wasn’t…

His eyes drifted to what he could see was an entrance to some other place. Definitely, definitely securely locked.

Angus stood up, glanced towards the door, and slipped a few journals from the bookshelves into his bag. It had a charm against tracking spells, and- and something told him that they’d maybe be useful at some point.

He sat down just as the Director arrived, looking stressed as she glanced towards him and sat down in her desk.

She seemed to suspect nothing.

“You are to wait here for the Reclaimers to call you,” she said shortly, obviously too stressed to sound as calm as she usually did. “You are- welcome to read in the meantime. You are never without books, correct?”

Taking care to not show her the inside of his bag, he lifted out a Caleb Cleveland novel- the new one, of course, even if he had already read it two times over, and settled back to read, Stone of Farspeech in his lap and not really doing anything but skimming the words as he thought.

He’d go walking around the Bureau in a few nights, when everyone was asleep.

You didn’t just make a large moon base with too many hallways and rooms compared to people and not hide secrets around, after all. It was always too risky to hold everything in one spot.

Waiting for a call, Angus McDonald planned for his nights of snooping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wheezes and falls over
> 
> i....really need to plan out the rest of the fic. maybe. uhhhhhhh
> 
> hope yall liked it! im too tired to say more hnnghhbnhg

**Author's Note:**

> i didn't even think i would make an angus fic but it sort of made itself over the past two days and i regret everything
> 
> do i want angus to be able to tell if someone tells a truth or a lie? OF COURSE I DO WHO'S KIDDING  
> -if there's nothing concrete about what he's told / it's guesswork, he can't tell; he can only interpret what someone states as fact ('i think it's Tom' vs 'it's Tom')  
> -just keep that in mind maybe but i may completely ignore that  
> -can people skirt around his ability with half-truths and omitting parts of things? OF COURSE
> 
> some lines were taken from tazscripts while parts were altered to fit the story better.  
> 


End file.
